


The Sunglass Hut

by zarrati



Series: The Sunglass Hut [1]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: F/M, Teenage AU, between high school and college AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-02
Updated: 2016-09-06
Packaged: 2018-06-05 20:23:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6721987
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zarrati/pseuds/zarrati
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When his father is offered a managerial position in Eagleton, eighteen-year old Ben Wyatt takes the opportunity to spend his summer before college as far away from Partridge as possible. He hates working in retail and selling overpriced sunglasses to snobby Eagletonians, but one day Leslie Knope comes into his store and changes everything.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for the parks three prompt challenge, but once I got the idea in my head, it grew into something much more than a one shot. The idea is based off of the deleted scene where Ben reveals that his father managed a Sunglass Hut.  
> Prompt elements:  
> Dialogue: "Move over"  
> Object: sunglasses  
> Mood: amused

Ben Wyatt hates his job.

He hates having to stand on his feet all day, hates having to plaster the fake smile on his face every time a customer walks in, hates that he has to follow a stupid dress code.

He even hates the music he’s forced to listen to every day while repeating “no, those sunglasses don’t make you look fat at all” over and over again. Like he really gives a damn about what frame shape compliments your cheekbones or if it matches your dog’s coat.

He’d much rather be at home wallowing in self-pity and listening to his records.

But he needs the money for college and when his dad was offered the position of managing a new store several hundred miles away from home, Ben jumped at the chance to get as far away from Partridge as possible. 

Working for his dad at a Sunglass Hut isn’t exactly his dream summer job, but apparently there are a lot of rich snobs in Eagleton more than willing to spend money on overpriced sunglasses and fatten up Ben’s commission check.

Plus, it's not like too many other people are going to be so willing to hire someone who’s got “Impeached Mayor” as the highlight of his resume, and has what most people refer to as an “attitude problem”.

“Benny!”

Ben rolls his eyes and goes through the stockroom to his dad’s office. “Yeah?”

His father’s eyes are hard, as usual, and he slides a piece of paper across his desk. “You want to tell me why this is the third customer complaint I’ve gotten for you?”

Ben sighs and slumps into the chair. “Because the people here are crazy? That one wasn’t even my fault. That lady freaked out at me because we didn’t carry a pair of sunglasses that don’t even exist. I checked!”

“So it’s their fault and not yours? Then why doesn’t your brother have these issues? He’s not had a single complaint.”

“Well, good for him,” Ben mumbles.

“I don’t need any attitude from you. I’m giving you this chance so don’t screw it up. And for Christ’s sake, tuck in your shirt and run a damn comb through your hair.”

Ben stands up, making a show of tucking in his shirt and running his hands through his hair. “Are we done?”

“Shape up,” his father says, a finger pointed at him. “If you don’t get your act together, I am not above sending you back home.”

Ben clenches his jaw and nods, walking away without another word.

He goes back to the storefront, resting his chin on his hand next to the register when two girls come into the store. He groans and doesn’t even care if they can see him roll his eyes.

Just what he needs, two people to come in and get fingerprints all over the lenses and not buy anything. He  _ definitely _ wants to rearrange the glasses after they try on every pair in the store and put them back in the wrong places.

He folds his arms and refuses to even greet them.

“God, Leslie, would you just relax,” the brunette says.

“I will  _ not,  _ relax, Ann. I can’t believe that I am setting foot in this God-forsaken Eagleton Mall, and what’s worse is that you’re applying for a  _ job _ here.”

“Well, believe it. I already applied and have an interview, and I  need the money. You’re just gonna have to get over this Eagleton hatred and support me.”

The blonde girl, Leslie he thinks her name is, sighs and puts her hand on the other girl’s shoulders. 

“You are so lucky you’re my best friend. You’re the only person in the entire universe that I would come here for.”

“Well, thank you. Now, I have to start my interview, so I guess kind of just stay nearby and look around or something and I’ll find you when I’m done.”

The other girl, Ann, leaves the store and walks into the Victoria’s Secret across the way.

Leslie sighs, eyeing the different glasses on the spinning stand. She pulls out a pair, scoffing at the price tag before trying them on.

“Uhm, is there something I can help you find?” Ben finally says, and she jumps, almost dropping the glasses. He’s not sure why he asks. She’s obviously not going to buy anything, but the words are out of his mouth before he can even stop himself.

“Oh! No, sorry. I didn’t realize you were there.”

“Yeah, someone’s gotta work here and make sure no one steals anything. Although there’s nothing I can really do about that anyway. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay. You look about as happy to be here as I do. At least you’re getting paid for it, though.”

He sighs. “Well, unless you buy something, I’m not getting paid all that much.”

She puts the frames back and shrugs. “A little too rich for my blood. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. I don’t blame you.”

“Well, I bet these rich Eagletonian snobs have no problems with that. Oh--wait, sorry. No offense.”

He laughs despite himself. There’s just something about this girl that amuses him. “No, it’s fine. I’m not from here, so no offense taken. And you’re right, they can be pretty snobby. It’s a nightmare having to wait on them sometimes.”

The second she hears that he’s not from Eagleton, her whole demeanor changes. She actually smiles and it’s… not terrible. It’s actually really, really nice. 

“Right?! I can’t believe Ann wants to work here. Ann’s the girl I was with and my very best friend in the entire universe. I mean, she’s gorgeous and amazing and honestly Victoria’s Secret would be the most perfect place for her, but does it have to be here?”

“There isn’t one where you live?”

Leslie makes a face. “No. We don’t really have a lot of stores and stuff in Pawnee unless you count restaurants that deep fry everything or stores that sell you things to deep fry your own food. Definitely not a Victoria’s Secret.”

“Oh, you’re from Pawnee. I’ve heard about it. That’s the next town over, right?”

“Yeah, but whatever you’ve heard from these Eagleton jerks isn’t true.”

“To be fair, you’ve shattered just about every Pawnee stereotype I’ve heard from them, so now I  _ know _ they can’t be true.”

“I like you,” she laughs, leaning over to read his name tag, “Ben. Now I wish I was rich enough to afford a pair of sunglasses.”

“It’s fine,” he says, then taps his lips with his finger. “But just because you aren’t going to buy doesn’t mean I can’t give you the full customer experience. That way, if you strike it rich in the next eight weeks that I’m here, you can come back and help my commission out.”

She smiles then bites her lip, looking over her shoulder at Victoria’s Secret. “Well, Ann might be gone a while and it’s not like I have anything else to do.”

“That’s the spirit. Okay, now I saw you looking at some earlier. Are those more your style?”

Leslie shook her head. “No, not really. I was just curious.”

“Good, because those are pretty fucking ugly.”

She actually laughs, and it makes him almost smile. “Well, good thing you’re here to save me from my own bad taste.  I’m interning this summer for the Parks Department and I’ll be spending a lot of time outside. So I guess I’d want something durable but also not ridiculous looking on my tiny head.”

“Hmm. You mind looking straight at me for a second? So I can get an idea of what shaped frames would compliment your face?”

She turns to him, and he resists the urge to hold the bottom of her chin and run his thumb on the really soft looking skin of her jaw.

And she’s pretty.  _ Very _ pretty, and he feels like an ass for not noticing sooner, but also feels like an ass for thinking it now. 

“I think I have just what you’d need.” He walks over to another stand and pulls off a pair of glasses. “Try these. I think the frames would compliment your face shape and cheekbones well. Plus they’re pretty sturdy. Won’t snap in half if you drop them or anything.”

She takes the glasses and nods before putting them on. “Move over,” she says with a grin, lightly bumping his hip, and he almost dies. “You’re blocking the mirror. Oh, wow, these are nice.” She turns back to him. “You’re pretty good at this.”

“Thanks,” he answers lowering his head to hide his blush, running a hand through his hair. He almost wishes he listened to his dad and brushed it this morning. “I mean, it’s not what I’d want to be doing this summer, but my dad manages the store and you can’t go this long without learning  _ some _ stuff. Plus, uh, you have a really nice face shape. Made it easier.”

She pushes the glasses up on her head. “I can honestly say that I’ve never gotten that compliment before, so thanks. These are really nice, though. Wish I could afford them, but I have to save for college, too.”

“Where are you going?”

“Indiana, for history. It’s a good school and didn’t want to go too far from home. What about you?”

“Carlton College. Accounting major. I’m originally from Minnesota, so it’s close to home, but not  too close.”

“And you came all the way out here just to work in your dad’s store?”

“I needed to get away from home. It’s not the best, but it’s not the worst either. My dad pretty much leaves me alone, and my brother is here with us too on his summer break. It works.”

She smiles at him again, and it just gets more awesome every time it happens. “That’s great. I--”

“Leslie!” a third voice squeals and the girl from before runs back into the store. “I got it! They hired me. I start next week.”

Leslie turns around and hugs her. “Ann! That’s amazing. Of course they hired you. You’re beautiful and perfect and will be the best worker they’ve ever had. Unless of course they try and recruit you to be a model.”

“Yeah, right. I say this calls for some celebratory ice cream.”

“Definitely.” She turns around to Ben and hands him back the glasses. “Thanks for helping me pass the time, and for finding me the perfect sunglasses. If I win the lottery in the next two months, this’ll be the first place I stop.”

She waves at him quickly before she turns to leave, and even though he knows she can’t see him, he waves back.

They are almost out of sight when Leslie turns one last time to look over her shoulder, catching his eyes with a smile.

It’s the first time that he thinks maybe working here isn’t so bad.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two is here! Hope you and enjoy, and please let me know your thoughts! Kudos and comments give me life.

Ben speed walks through the mall past the other boutiques and food court, taking in a deep breath as he passes the pretzel shop. He’s almost late--but then again he’s always almost late, and he struggles to tuck in his polo shirt as he goes.

He rounds the corner into the store ready to take over the night shift from Henry when he walks in to find said brother talking to a blonde girl he’d recognize anywhere. Henry’s leaning lazily against one of the giant floor spinners, his arms crossed, and the way he’s smiling makes Ben want to punch him in the face for reasons he’s not even sure about.

“Oh, speak of the devil,” Henry says to Leslie, who turns around with her own smile. “You’ve got a very loyal customer, here, little bro. Wouldn’t even let me help her out. She said you’ve got a chokehold on any of her purchases.”

Yup, she’s just as cute as he remembers, wearing a soft pink tank top that compliments her skin tone ridiculously well--you know, if he was the kind of person to notice those things. 

Ben clears his throat, wiping his now sweaty hands on his pants. “O-oh, yeah? Did you win the lottery and I didn’t hear about it?”

She cackles and it really can’t possibly be as cute as he thinks it is. “Nope, unfortunately not. I’m just waiting for Ann to get done her shift and I thought I’d stop by and visit my glasses.”

He doesn’t ask why she’s waiting here instead of in Ann’s store, but that doesn’t mean he’s not curious. “Oh, that’s cool.”

Henry snorts next to him and Ben almost jabs him in the ribs.

“Well, Leslie here was just telling me about her summer job.”

“Oh, yeah, how’s that going?” Ben asks, ignoring Henry’s eyebrow raise.

“It’s going so great! I love it. The parks are amazing, and I’m helping a lot with the different programs. And the kids are wonderful.”

Ben nods and smiles, wondering what it could possibly feel like to enjoy your job. Leslie talks about it with such enthusiasm, he’s almost jealous that she can enjoy  _ anything _ that much. 

“That’s awesome. Yeah, kids can be fun.”

“They’re super cute. Oh, there’s Ann. I gotta go. Keep my glasses safe, okay?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll guard them with my life.”

He doesn’t realize that he’s watching her walk away until Henry waves his hand in front of his face. “Hello. Earth to Benji. I’ll admit she’s cute, but be a little less obvious if you’re gonna ogle her.”

“Move,” Ben says with a scowl as he tries to walk past Henry to the back room. 

“Nope. Not until you tell me what’s going on. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that nice to a customer before. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that nice to another human being in months. Asking about her job? ‘Oh, kids are fun’. What the fuck was that?”

“It’s nothing, okay? She just killed some time here the other day and we talked. That’s it.”

“Bullshit. Little Benny here has a crush. Good news for you is that she’s the first someone to visit you. It’s not like your charm with the customers has them coming back for more. Unlike me, for example.”

He actually wished Henry was right and Leslie had come back to see him, but even that was too much for him to hope for right now.

“Seriously, it’s nothing. Her friend works at the Victoria’s Secret across the aisle and she waited here before. I helped her pass the time and pick out a pair of glasses. She came back to check on those, not me.”

Henry just cocks his head and smirks. “Oh, Benji. Naive, clueless little Benji. No one comes back just to check on sunglasses by first specifically asking if you were around. That doesn’t happen. I think she likes you.”

“Oh, and so that’s why you were hitting on her?” he shoots back, and wow, okay he’s actually really angry about that.

“Whoa,” Henry says with his hands up, “calm down. I was just giving her the old Wyatt charm. I can’t help it. It’s in my nature. Don’t worry, she’s a bit too young for me, and she clearly would rather give you her commission, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re such an asshole.”

“But you love me anyway. I’m out of here.”

He ruffles Ben’s hair as he passes, and if looks could kill, Ben would be found guilty of fratricide a thousand times over.

And stupid Henry. Now Ben can’t get the idea of Leslie coming to see him out of his head.

Because it’s just not true. Why on earth would she want to see  _ him _ ? She hardly even knew him, and odds are the better she got to know him, the more she’d not like what she saw.

That’s how it seemed with everyone else, at least, and Leslie isn’t going to be any different.

...Right?

~~~~~

He sees her walking towards the Victoria’s Secret with Ann, the two girls chatting while Leslie eats an ice cream cone from the food court. 

It’s the sexiest thing he thinks he’s ever seen in his life, and he’s very grateful that he’s standing behind the counter while he watches Leslie’s tongue lick at the melting drops of the sweet dessert.

She waves goodbye to Ann as the girl walks into the store before turning around--and catches him staring.

He’s too startled to move his eyes, his entire body frozen in shock.

He waits for her to leave, to make a face and resolve to never see him again, but instead she smiles and takes another lick of her cone as she walks towards the store, stopping just outside of the entrance. 

“The sign says no food,” she says, pointing the the piece of paper on the glass with her free hand. 

“It’s okay. No one really follows that anyway. Just know what if you make a mess, you have to clean it up.”

“Nope,” she says with a mouthful of ice cream. “It’s the rules.”

“So you're just gonna talk to me from across the store?”

“Well, I was hoping you’d leave your grumpy corner behind the register and come here instead.”

He steps out from behind the counter and thinks of baseball, his parents fighting, Jabba the Hut--anything to help combat how the sight of Leslie licking her ice cream cone was making his body feel.

“Is this better?”

She giggles and nods. “Yup.”

“So, uh, what brings you to these parts?”

These parts? Really? Is he in a Western or something?

“Meeting up with Ann for her lunch break. We’re doing a thing tonight for the kids at the park, so I had the morning free. What about you? What have you been up to?”

“A whole lot of nothing. Standing around doing this, mostly.”

“You’ve been keeping my glasses safe?”

“Yup. Almost had someone buy them the other day, but all I had to do was tell her that it made her cheeks look fat and she didn’t get them.”

Leslie bursts into a cackle. “You didn’t!”

“No,” Ben laughs, “I didn’t. I just made up a story about how Cindy Crawford wore some other, more expensive pair and she bought those instead.”

“Looking out for my glasses and your commission. I like it.”

“These people are easy to manipulate if you learn how. I kind of like it. It’s not a Jedi mind trick, but it’s something.”

She raises an eyebrow and hides her smile behind her cone. “That’s a little scary. And nerdy. Very nerdy.”

“Okay, Star Wars is  _ not _ that nerdy.”

“Oh, no, Star Wars is not that nerdy at all.”

“Be careful. I just might have to use my powers of manipulation on you, too.”

Leslie snorts. “Oh, please. I’d like to see you try. My mind is a lot stronger than these vapid, self-absorbed Eagletonians.”

“Uh huh, I’m sure.” He nods to melted ice cream slowly dripping onto her hand. “Maybe you should stop trash talking me and focus on that cone. You’re making a mess.”

She scrunches her nose and lifts up her hand to lick her fingers, and good Lord, he almost chokes on his own spit. 

And he would give anything to be one of those fingers right now.

The watch on her wrist beeps just as she licks off the last bits of melted ice cream. 

“Oh! That’s my alarm. I gotta get going back and prep for tonight. I’ll see you later, Ben!”

“Uh, yeah. See you, Leslie.”

He doesn’t stop smiling until Henry comes to take over the evening shift.

~~~~~

Ben passes the rag back and forth over the counter top with such force that his arm starts to hurt, but he ignores it. There’s this smudge, this one, little,  _ fucking _ smudge that won’t go away no matter what, and he wants to scream.

But it’s easier to take out his aggression on that smudge than anyone and anything else around him.

It’s pathetic, he knows that, but it doesn’t change anything. Ben still hopes every customer that comes in is Leslie, still watches the people walking by trying to see if she is ever among the crowd. 

He eyes the entrance to Victoria’s Secret with the intensity of a pervert to see when Ann comes in or out, and if Leslie is at her side.

His father is ecstatic because Ben actually combs his hair in the mornings now, you know, just in case. Not  _ too _ much, though. He’s still got a look he wants to achieve, but it’s disheveled enough to look like he wanted it that way, and not that he just rolled out of bed. 

But it’s been weeks, and there has been no sign of her. 

It shouldn’t be a big deal. He barely knows her and it’s not like he wants to get caught up in anything serious right before he goes away to school.

No one said it had to be serious, though. He’s not sure why he’s thinking that. If she liked him as much as Henry said she did, they could just hang out and have some no strings attached fun.

Right?

“Dude, seriously, you need to relax. You’re gonna throw your back out or something.”

“I’m fine,” Ben tells his brother. “I’m just bored, and this fucking smudge won’t come out.”

“And to make yourself less bored you scrub things until your fingers are about to bleed while looking like you’re waiting for someone? Frown every time someone walks in and it’s not a certain blonde girl? Stare at the Victoria’s Secret like a creep?”

“I don’t do that,” he mumbles, and they both know it’s a complete lie.

“Just get her number or something.”

“And how am I supposed to do that if I never see her again?”

Henry rolls his eyes and stares at him like he’s an idiot. “Her best friend works in the store thirty feet away. Go in and ask her. Or at least tell her that you want to see Leslie again. I don’t know, just grow a pair and do something.” He chuckles. “Or I can always go over and ask her. She’s pretty hot. You think she’s into older guys? We could double date.”

“Don’t you dare. You’ll ruin everything,” Ben snaps back, and it infuriates him even more that his brother keeps smiling. 

“You’re too easy to mess with, man. Chill out. I get it. This is the first girl that you’ve liked since, you know, but it’s fine. She doesn’t even have to know. You just need to do  _ something _ . You’ve been a nightmare here and at home. If you play anymore of those depressing records or lock yourself in your room and draw stupid maps for that Demons and Dungeons game--”

“It’s Dungeon’s and Dragons and it’s a game that requires a lot of skill and critical thinking.”

“Whatever, man. You just need to stop moping around. Your customer complaints are through the roof and pissing dad off. Get a life.”

“Yeah, well not all of us are as good at making friends as you--or whatever else it is that you do when you go out.”

“I gotta tell you, some of these little rich girls are just looking for someone like me to upset their Daddy’s with and--”

“Seriously? Can you just shut the fuck up for two seconds?”

Henry makes a face and finally backs away. “Fine. But for real, I hope she comes back for both of our sakes. I don’t think I can tolerate you any grumpier than you are now. You need to get laid.”

HE ducks just in time to miss a dirty rag being hurled at his head.


	3. Chapter 3

His back is to the entrance and he’s crouched down restocking the lower shelves when a voice clears behind him. 

He’s sweaty and has dirt smudged on his khakis from helping unload the newest shipment, so of course that’s the day that Leslie comes.

Of. Fucking. Course.

“L-Leslie. Hi.” He wipes his hands on his slacks, but that only makes things worse. “Sorry. I was, uhm, you know, unloading stuff in the back and, uhm,” he shrugs, “so yeah. W-what are you doing here? I mean, is there something I can help you with?” He tries to figure out what to do with his arms, and finally ends up folding them awkwardly across his chest.

It doesn’t look nearly as cool as when Henry does it.

It’s been a while, and it’s clear that Leslie’s job has her outside. Her hair has natural highlights from the sun, and her skin is darker in places where it’s not stained pink.

Did he mention that she looks really good in shorts? Because she does.

“I just came to meet Ann for lunch on her break, but she got caught up helping a customer. Thought I’d stop by.”

He nods. “Cool, cool. Yeah, uh, I haven’t seen you around, lately. Not like I was looking or anything. But sometimes I see Ann going in and out and I don’t see you, so...”

He’s not sure if she’s blushing or it’s just the tinge on her cheeks from the sun, but he really hopes it’s the first one.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve been really busy. We were doing a summer day camp at one of the parks and I was one of the counselors. The first wave is finally over so I have some free time.”

“Well, you weren’t lying about being outside a lot. You’ve tanned.”

She huffs a quick laugh. “Yeah, this is whatever was left over after the peeling. I got some pretty nasty sunburn. My back is still pretty bad.”

Ben damns Henry’s voice in his head that tells him to offer to rub some lotion on her. Although that would probably be very, very awesome.

“O-oh, well that sucks. Yeah, I just try to not go outside all that much or else I’ll turn into a tomato.”

“Yeah, but it was worth it. But I am glad that I have a little break and can catch up on some quality Ann time. Even if it  _ is _ at this stupid mall.”

Ben laughs, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “Yeah, well they have a really awesome comic book shop here, so, it’s not all bad.”

_ And I’m here. _

“Yeah, I guess,” she mutters. “It looks pretty nice. I saw that they had this great Batman costume in the window.”

“Oh, man, I know! It’s so awesome. That’s what I would buy if I had money to throw around.”

Henry’s voice is back and tells him to stop geeking out and embarrassing himself by telling this girl his dream is to own a lifelike Batman costume.

“Right?! I love Batman.”

Ha, take that, stupid Henry’s voice.

“Well, it’s definitely worth setting aside your Eagleton Mall prejudices.” He runs a shaking hand through his hair. “Uhm, maybe sometime I could take you--”

“Leslie, there you are.”

Fuck.

Leslie turns and smiles as Ann comes through the store. “Hey, Ann. Finally get to take your break?”

“Ugh, yeah. Some of these customers are just the worst.” Ann looks over at Ben. “Oh, you’re Henry’s brother, right?”

“Yeah,” Ben answers with a grimace, “but don’t hold it against me.”

She waves her hand. “It’s okay, I won’t. He’s pretty harmless. Just comes into the store a lot and tries to hit on some of the girls.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Henry,” Ben says with a sigh. “At least now I know where he goes when it’s dead and he feels like leaving me alone in the store.”

The girls laugh, and it’s the first time in a long time people were laughing  _ with _ him and not at him. It’s nice, and this may very well be the best he’s felt in months. 

“Well, we better go grab something so I get back in time,” Ann says, tugging on Leslie’s arm, and with one more goodbye, they’re gone. 

It’s not until fifteen minutes later that Ben realizes Leslie never once asked about the sunglasses.

~~~~~

She’s at one of the spinners trying on as many ridiculous pairs of glasses as she can while Ben works on inventory. 

He never once worries about her fingerprints on the lenses or whether or not she’ll put them back in the right place. He’s just happy that she’s here.

“Okay, uhm, what’s your favorite food?”

It’s a silly game to pass the time, asking random questions, but since she’s been here, he’s learned that her middle name is Barbara, she is indeed a natural blonde, she wants to become President of the United States, and no, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.

He really liked that last bit of info.

“Oh, that’s easy,” he says. “Calzones.”

She pulls off a pair of glasses that are almost bigger than her entire head, and frowns. “Ew, really?”

“Uh, yeah, they’re delicious.”

“It’s just pizza that’s harder to eat.”

“Well, what’s your favorite food?”

“Waffles smothered in whipped cream. Preferably from JJ’s Diner.”

Ben shakes his head. “And you said mine was stupid? I mean waffles are good, but smothered in whipped cream? I’m more of a syrup only guy.”

“This is America, and you are entitled to your wrong opinions.” 

Ben balls up a piece of paper and tosses it across the room, and she easily avoids it with a laugh. “So, now that we’ve got that settled, uhm, how do you take your coffee? My guess would be...sweet with barely any actual coffee in it.”

“And Henry says that you’re terrible at reading people. That’s right on the money. What about you?”

“Intravenously.”

“Oh, so you’re one of  _ those _ . Aren’t you a bit young to have a caffeine addiction?”

He shrugs his shoulders and doesn’t bother looking up from his paperwork. “I’m a bit young for a lot of things. But either way, it’s too late to save me from it. I’m a bear without my caffeine.”

“Oh, wow, so this is not-so-grumpy Ben. I’m almost afraid of  _ grumpy _ grumpy Ben.”

“I’m not grumpy.”

He finally looks over at her and she’s watching him with a smile. “Yeah, you kinda are. Whenever I come here, before you see me, you look like you’re about to throw a temper tantrum like a toddler.”

He makes a face and sticks his tongue out at her. “Do not.”

“Ah, yes, there’s that maturity you say you have.”

He puts down his clipboard. “Hey, I am mature, okay.”

“Oh yeah, you’re so mature you’ve completely skipped over young adulthood and went straight to grumpy old man. Answer this: how many kids have you yelled at to get off your lawn this week?”

“Hey, they have their own yards to trample through, okay?” Leslie starts cackling again, and Ben’s stomach feels like it’s doing somersaults. “Well, you should be proud of me. I only yelled a little bit and then told them they should go to the park if they want to play. Gave you a little free advertising.”   

“How kind and thoughtful of you.” She puts on another pair of glasses and turns to him. “What about these?”

Ben scrunches his nose and shakes his head. She still looks good. She probably looks good in anything, but it’s definitely not her style. “Nah, too much. To give you an idea, the last person I sold a pair like that too was a lady that kept calling me ‘boy’, had a purse that looked like it cost more than my car, and then bought the same pair in a child’s size for her dog.”

“Blech,” Leslie says, putting the glasses back on the spinner as though they were poisonous. “God, why are Eagletonians the worst?”

“I wish I knew, but that week’s paycheck was nice, so I can’t complain too much.”

“You know that doesn’t stop you,” she teased, and honestly, if anyone else had said it, he’d be kind of upset. But it’s Leslie, and for some reason, he’s not. 

“Well, anyway, it’s my turn to ask a question. Why do you come here and bother me instead of Ann?” Her face falls for a second, and great, now he feels like an ass. “Not that I mind,” he adds quickly. “It’s nice to not be alone and you’re better company than anyone else around, but I’m just curious why you wait here and not in Victoria’s Secret.”

Leslie shrugs. “I don’t know. Ann’s usually really busy helping customers and stuff, and sometimes I feel really weird just wandering around there surrounded by lingerie. It’s boring there.”

“And it’s not boring here?”

Her eyebrows furrow when she looks at him, like that’s the stupidest question he could have ever asked. 

“Of course not. You’re here.”

It’s the first time in months that he’s felt wanted, accepted. That anyone would prefer his presence over  _ anything _ . 

It’s honestly the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him.

He smiles. “You make things a lot less boring for me, too.”

When Ann’s shift is over and Leslie leaves, it takes all of his will power to not go after her.


	4. Chapter 4

Ben’s staring at himself in the bathroom mirror when there’s a loud bang on the door.

“Benji, get out. You’ve been in there forever. There are other people in this house, dickwad.”

Ben sighs and runs the comb through his hair once more for good measure. 

“I’m coming, Jesus Christ. You’re not even the one that has to go into work this morning, so stop being such a dipshit.” Ben throws the door open and pushes past Henry. “It’s all yours.” He barely gets out of the bathroom before an arm is on his shoulder, spinning him around. “Dude, what the hell?”

“Don’t you what the hell me. What the hell is up with  _ you _ ?”

Ben looks to the floor and rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I have to get to work.”

“Don’t give me that shit. Your hair looks even more tame than usual, you shaved whatever nonexistent facial hair you have, and--” He steps forward and sniffs. “Holy shit, are you wearing some of Dad’s cologne?”

Ben shoves Henry away. “What’s it to you if I am. I just want to look presentable for work. Is that a crime now?”

“Since when have you wanted to look presentable? Unless Leslie might be stopping by…”

He was never good at lying, least of all to his brother, and he can’t even open his mouth to reply before Henry stops him

“She is, isn’t she? Well, damn, little bro’s got game.”

“I-I never said that she was, okay? Dad’s just been on my ass about looking better for work and--”

“And since when have you ever given a damn about what Dad wants? This has ‘impressing a girl’ written all over it. But what makes you think she’ll be around today, anyway.”

“She  _ might _ have told that she  _ might _ be stopping by. It’s an early dismissal for the kids at the day camp, so she has some free time.”

“Uh huh,” Henry says slowly with a barely concealed smile. “So she makes sure to let you know when she’ll be around? At least it’s better than you waiting around like a lovesick puppy every day waiting.”

“I’m not--” Ben sighs and drops his shoulders. “We’re just friends. Barely friends. She stops by waiting for Ann to get out of work. That’s it.”

“But maybe you want to me more than just ‘barely friends’, right? Don’t be ashamed, dude. She’s cute and seems to tolerate you more than anyone else has in recent history. So, I say go for it. She’s been coming into the store now for a few weeks. It can’t hurt to at least ask for her number. I’m pretty sure she’ll give it to you.”

Ben bites his lip. “You think so?”

“Honestly, I do. I know I fuck with you, but you’ve actually been less of an asshole since she started coming around, and I like it. I just want you to be happy and have some fun. You at least deserve that.”

Ben play punches Henry shoulder with a smile. “You gettin’ soft on me, Wyatt?”

“Never, Ice Clown,” he replies with an affectionate ruffle of Ben’s hair.

“Dude, I just brushed it.”

“God, you’re fine. It still looks a thousand times better than it has in the past. I mean, if she’s willing to see past  _ that _ hair and talk to you, you’re one lucky son of a bitch.”

Ben spends his drive to the mall thinking that maybe Henry was right.

~~~~~

The store was dead most of the day, so when Leslie strolls in with a smile and wave, Ben’s heart almost leaps out of his chest.

Which is a totally normal reaction to seeing a friend.

Okay, maybe not, but it doesn’t matter because whatever she is to him, she’s here and he couldn’t be more grateful.

“Oh, thank God,” he says to her. “You’re the first person I’ve seen in hours. I was almost wishing for a customer to come in just so I’d have someone to talk to.”

“Wait a minute, who are you and what have you done with my Ben?”

_ Her _ Ben. Good Lord.

“I said almost. Don’t worry, I’ve not been reduced to someone social. If that happens, rush me to the emergency room and have them check for head trauma.”

“I will definitely do that.”

She’s smiling again and he can’t help but notice how  _ nice _ she looks. She traded in her work shorts for a skirt and patterned sleeveless top. She might be short, but  _ damn _ does she have amazing legs. And arms and face and breasts and just about everything else.

He thinks she catches him staring, but doesn’t seem too bothered by it.

“Well, have no fear,” she says walking over the counter and hoisting herself onto it, her legs swinging, “because Leslie is here to save you from your boredom.”

“And just in time, too. You have a much better response time than Batman.”

“And I don’t need a signal in the sky or anything. That’s how good I am.”

He laughs and walks over to the counter, taking a chance and leaning against it far closer to her than he needed to. She doesn’t flinch, doesn’t try to scoot over. She just looks over at him and smiles.

She does that a lot around him, and every time it’s like staring into the sun.

“Okay, so since I rescued you, I get to start the game with the first question, okay?”

He’d agree to just about anything to get her to stay. Play any silly game, answer any stupid question. He just wants to be with her.

And he actually likes who he is when she’s around. She doesn’t treat him like a social pariah or throw rotten food at his house. She’s doesn’t call him Ice Clown or look at him with pity because he destroyed his life as well as the lives of thousands of people.

This is his chance to have a fresh start and see that maybe things aren’t so bad--at least not when she’s around.

“Alright,” he says with a poke to her knee, “hit me with your best shot.”

~~~~~

The store stayed dead, and even though that meant he hadn’t made a single sale, he doesn’t care. Talking and laughing with Leslie feels better than making any kind of sale or having a few extra bucks to spend. 

Ben doesn’t realize how long Leslie’s been there until Henry comes strolling in to take over the night shift.

“Hey, Knope, Benji,” he says with a nod of his head. “What are you two up to?”

“Not much,” Leslie says with a shrug of her shoulders. “Just hanging out.”

Henry walks over to Ben and puts an arm around his shoulder, ruffling his hair with the other hand. “With this guy? I don’t know, I thought you had better taste than that.”

“Ha ha,” Ben deadpans as he shoves Henry away. “What time was Ann supposed to get off? You’ve been waiting here a long time.”

She drops her eyes to stare at her shoes and licks her lips. “Uhm, Ann’s not--she’s not working today.”

“Oh.”

_ Oh… _

“Yeah, uhm, you know, I had time off and got bored and just wanted to stop by.”

_ You’re the only person in the entire universe that I would come here for. _

That’s what she had said to Ann on the first day they walked into the store. That’s how much she hated Eagleton and how much she liked Ann. And apparently now him, too.

His chest felt warm and his heart was racing and holy shit, he liked her.

He liked her  _ a lot _ . And she might actually feel the same way about him.

“Yeah, anyway,” she says, clearing her throat and wringing her hands. “You’re getting off so I guess I should get going, too.”

Ben sees Henry out of the corner of his eye mouthing ‘ask her out’ and nodding his head roughly in Leslie’s direction.

His brother isn’t subtle, but sometimes Ben needs someone to give him a swift kick in the ass.

“Uh, wait!” Ben says way too loud and way too quickly. “D-do you have to go yet? I mean, you came all this way. Maybe, uh, maybe we could walk around or something. Grab food at the food court. Whatever--whatever you want to do.”

His hands are sweaty and shaking, and his stomach is currently doing cartwheels. This was the first girl he’s asked out since Ice Town, and the fact that she didn’t laugh in his face immediately was already better than he could have hoped for.

She doesn’t laugh, her face doesn’t fall and she doesn’t look like she’s trying to come up with a gentle way to turn him down. Instead, she smiles and nods. 

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Good Lord. She said yes. He can’t breathe. Apparently he’s been staring at her slack jawed because it takes Henry nudging him in his shoulder to come to his senses.

“Yeah?”

She giggles and nods again. “Yeah.”

Holy. Fucking. Shit.

“Uhm, that’s--wow, that’s great. Uhm, w-we can go now if that’s--”

Leslie just shakes her head with a teasing smile and pulls on his arm to guide him out of the store.

Ben’s heart is beating so loud in his chest that he only barely hears Henry tell them to have a good time.

And when Leslie threads her fingers with his, all Ben knows is that he can’t-- _ won’t _ \--fuck this up.


	5. First Dates

Ben really wishes that he could have at least wiped his hand before she took it because it’s got to be soaking wet from nervous sweat. 

Perfect, just what he needs. To gross Leslie out before they even really start their date--or whatever this is.

But if she’s grossed out, she doesn’t act like it. She just squeezes his hand every few seconds and looks over at him with a smile. 

“So, uh, what did you want to do first?”

It’s a stupid thing to ask since she’s leading him anyway, but it’s the only sentence he seems to be able to put together.

“Well, I’m starving, so maybe we could hit up the food court first and then walk around a bit? Oh, you can show me that comic book store you love so much.”

He just nods dumbly because at this point, he’d go anywhere with her. Hell, she could lead him off of cliff and he’d go willingly if she kept holding his hand like that.

“Yo, Benji,” Henry calls out, and Ben turns around praying that he won’t say something embarrassing. “I almost forgot to tell you, Steph called looking for you earlier. Make sure you call her back when you get home. You know how she gets if she doesn’t hear from you.”

He chuckles to himself and nods, turning back to Leslie who has a funny look on her face.

“You ready,” she asks, at at his nod she walks them towards the food court, her grip tighter than before.

They both opt for burgers and fries, plus a chocolate shake for Leslie. Ben pulls out his wallet to pay for them both.

“Oh, you don’t have to pay for me,” she tells him, but he waves away her money. 

“No, please, let me get it. I, uh, I want to. You can pay next time.”

He flashes what he hopes is a charming smile, and it seems to work.

“Okay, next time,” she smiles back, and Ben still can’t believe any of this is real.

_ Next time _ . As in, again. They haven’t even finished this date--he’s now convinced it’s a date-- and she’s already wanting to go out with him again.

Seriously, he almost pinches himself to make sure it’s not a dream. 

“So, uhm, who’s Stephanie?” Leslie tries to ask casually, but even as dense as he can be, Ben knows something’s up.

Holy shit, she’s jealous. The thought alone makes him happier than it probably should.

“Steph?”

“Yeah. Is she like, a girl back home or something?”

Oh yeah, she’s jealous, and Ben can’t help but laugh.

“You don’t need to be rude about it,” Leslie says with a huff. “If you have someone back home, then--”

“No, sorry,” he manages to say. “It’s just--it’s not what you think. Steph is my little sister. This is the longest we’ve ever been apart, so she likes to call and talk. I don’t have a girl back home.”

Leslie’s relief would be borderline comical if it didn’t make him feel so damn good. 

“Oh, I didn’t know you had a sister.”

“Yeah, she’s the youngest of the three. She stayed back home with my mom while Henry and I moved out here with dad for the summer.”

“That must be tough.”

Ben shrugs and takes a bite out of his burger. “It was at first for all of us, but I figure Steph will have to get used to me being gone when I go off to college, so this is good practice. Plus, I needed to get away from home for a while.”

“And you haven’t gone back to Partridge since? I don’t know how I’m gonna be able to stay away from Pawnee that long once I go away for school.”

“No, I haven’t. It’s been--wait. How did you know that I’m from Partridge?”

Leslie looks like a deer caught in the headlights. “Uhm, you told me.”

“No, I’m sure I didn’t. God damnit, it was Henry, right? I swear to god--”

“Did I say Partridge? I meant, cartridge. Like ink cartridge. Crazy how expensive those things are.”

“Leslie…”

“Okay,” she says, throwing her hands in the air, “I said Partridge, but Henry didn’t tell me.”

He’s hoping it’s just coincidence. That she heard it in passing or something, and not what he thinks it might be.

“Then how did you know?”

She shrugs. “Because I know who you are. It took me a while cuz your hair’s a little different now, but I remember you. I followed your story up until...well, you know. Then you kind of fell off the radar.”

“So, you knew who I was this whole time and you still wanted to be friends with me?”

She looks at him likes he’s grown an extra head. “What do you mean? Why would that make a difference?”

“Why would it make a difference? Leslie, I bankrupted my entire town trying to build a damn ice skating rink. Thousands of people lost their jobs because of me. My entire town hates me and ruined everything.”

“Look,” Leslie says, after eating a french fry, “Ice Town was a disaster and from what I know you mismanaged the hell out of it.”

If this was going somewhere positive, he wasn’t sure how she’d get there…

“But anyway, the point is that you at least tried something. You wanted to make your town better and you tried. Plus, I know enough about local government to know that this couldn’t have only been your fault. There are a lot of people to blame and they all made you take the fall for it. I want to be your friend because I like you. That’s all. No ulterior motive.”

His breath is caught in his throat, and he can barely choke out an “oh” in response.

“Since you thought I didn’t know, were you ever going to tell me?”

“I’m sure I would have eventually. I just don’t normally get a positive response once people find out who I am, and I guess...I guess I didn’t want you to hate me, too.”

“Well, I don’t hate you. Actually, can I tell you something kind of embarrassing?”

“Oh, I like the sound of this already. Spill.”

“Well, uhm, so I followed your story pretty closely. I mean, I was so jealous of everything you were doing, and I kind of had a picture of you on my wall. I don’t know if you realize this, but you’re very cute.”

She thinks he’s  _ cute _ ? Good Lord.

“Y-yeah?”

She giggles and nods. “Yeah. This is kind of a dream come true for me. On a date with Benji Wyatt.”

“You mean it’s not a disappointment now that I’m Ben Wyatt, disgraced former Mayor?”

She smiles and steals a fry from his plate. “Nope. If anything, it’s even better than I could have imagined.”

~~~~~

Leslie’s very affectionate.

Not that Ben’s complaining, mind you. If anything, it’s the exact opposite. He loves the feeling of her hand in his, the way she brushes against his side as they walk the mall, that she moves her head so close to his whenever she speaks like it’s a secret just meant for the two of them.

Ben’s somewhat of a regular at the comic shop, and it feels good to walk in there with Leslie at his side. She only lets go of his hand to rifle through some of the Batman comics, and the fact that she knows as much about them as he does nearly blows his mind.

And when she shutdown the worker who tries to mansplain the differences between the comics and the film franchise, Ben doesn't think he has ever been more turned on in his entire life.

“I have to admit that you were right about this place.”

He smiles and nudges her shoulder. “What? That it’s worth a trip to the god-forsaken Eagleton Mall?”

“I wouldn’t go  _ that _ far. So far only you and Ann fall into that category, but it’s a decent place to visit if I’m already here. And that Batman costume is pretty damn amazing. Oh, you should try it on!”

“I don’t think so. They’re pretty protective of that thing. They know I’m not a serious buyer so they won’t let me near it. Someday though, right?”

“Right. When I win the lottery and can buy my sunglasses, I’ll get this for you for your birthday. Sound good?”

“Sounds perfect. As if I didn’t want you to win before. Now it  _ has _ to happen. I’ve got too much riding on this.”

He doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of hearing her laugh.

~~~~~

They stay in the comic store until the mall closes, and Ben walks Leslie out to her car.

He’s not ready for the night to end, and judging by the way she stands outside of her door, she isn’t either.

“Uhm, I had a really great time today. Thanks for stopping by and visiting me and agreeing to hang out with me.”

“Well, thank you for asking. I kind of came today hoping it might happen.”

“Yeah?”

“Yup. And you didn’t disappoint, so good job.”

He laughs and takes her hand. “Uhm, maybe we could do this again sometime. I could even come and visit you in Pawnee on one of my days off. You can show me around some of the parks and tell me more about the work you’ve been do--”

The rest of his date proposal is lost as Leslie kisses him, her arms thrown around his neck while he holds her steady with hands on her hips.

He was going to kiss her before she left. That was his plan, at least, but this is so much better. Ben wouldn’t have had the courage to be this passionate. 

Her lips taste like cherry chapstick mixed with sugar and he has to pull away before he either dies of asphyxiation or embarrassment from his quickly growing erection.

Her cheeks are flushed and her lips are wet and swollen, and she’s never looked more beautiful.

“Wow,” he says. “I’m guessing that means you’re good for a second date.”

Leslie nods and reaches into her car to grab a pen. “This,” she says as she scribbles on his palm, “is my phone number. I should be coming in a few days to visit Ann again, but I better hear from you before then. You got that, mister?”

“Y-yeah. Definitely. I’ll call and see when we can find a time we’re both off.”

She hooks a finger in his belt loop and tugs so he’s close enough to kiss his cheek one more time. “I’ll see you soon.”

Ben stands there grinning long after Leslie drives away.

~~~~~

It’s not the first time Ben jerks off with Leslie on his mind, but it is the first time he doesn’t feel the least bit guilty about it. 

He doesn’t rationalize that it’s got nothing to do with  _ her. _ Doesn’t think that it’s only because she’s the only girl in his life that can stand to be in the same room with him.

No, this time he touches himself remembering the feel of Leslie’s lips, remembering the taste of her mouth.

He imagines that it’s her hand, imagines her mouth and tongue wrapped around him.

It is the first time he cums gasping Leslie’s name, and he knows for a fact it won’t be the last.


	6. Welcome to Pawnee

“You can do this, Benji. It’s just a phone call. She gave you her number because she likes you. Just do it.”

“Talking to yourself again?” Henry’s voice says behind him, and Ben nearly drops the phone.

“Jesus Christ, you scared the shit out of me.”

“I know. That was the point. So what’s this? A little pep talk?”

“It’s nothing. Leslie gave me her number.”

“And how long have you been standing here too chicken shit to call?”

Longer than he should have, that’s for sure, but Ben stays quiet.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Henry smirks. “Dude, she practically devoured your face after your first date. I think it’s safe to say that she wants you to call her.”

“Yeah, but what if--”

“Nope, save it. I don’t want to hear it. This is happening.”

Henry takes Ben’s hand with Leslie’s number scribbled on it and snatches the receiver.

“Henry, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?!”

“I’m making sure you don’t royally screw this up,” he says as he punches in the numbers. “Here, it’s ringing.”

“What?! Henry, what did you--”

“Hello?”

Holy shit.

“Hello?” the voice-- Leslie’s voice-- repeats again when he doesn’t answer. 

“Uh, yeah, hey, Leslie? It’s me. Ben. Ben Wyatt.”

“Ben! Hey!”

He can practically hear her smile, and his heart threatens to beat right out of his chest.

“H-hi. How are you?”

Oh, wow, real original.

“I’m doing really great. I’m so happy that you called.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I’ve been kind of waiting for it all day. Oh, wow that sounded desperate. I mean, I was just, you know, around or whatever and kind of wondering if maybe you’d call or something. No big deal. I honestly didn’t care if you ever called.” She sighs. “No, now that sounds too nonchalant. Uhm--”

She sounds almost as nervous as he does. He can work with this.

“Hey, Leslie, it’s okay. If it makes you feel any better, Henry found me by the phone giving myself a pep talk about calling before he took the phone out of my hands and called you for me.”

“Awww, that’s cute. It does make me feel better.”

“Yeah he’s a regular cupid. But enough about Henry. I want to hear more about you.”

Leslie giggles. “Yeah? Well, what do you want to know?”

He sits down at the kitchen table and curls his feet under him. “Everything.”

They talk for two hours before Leslie’s mother calls her for dinner, and Ben swears that he could have easily talked with her for a thousand more.

~~~~~

“Ben.”

Her voice is muffled by his lips, and he’s totally okay with that. He doesn’t want to stop, and the fact that he spent the majority of his lunch break making out with Leslie in the stockroom doesn’t bother him one bit. He can eat later.

“Ben,” she says a little louder, pulling her face away. Her lips are gorgeous and plump and her hair is mussed from his fingers. She’s the most beautiful creature he’s ever seen. “I really have to go. Ann’s break starts in a few minutes and I don’t want to make her wait.”

He pouts because he knows it makes her weak in the knees. “But I don’t want you to go.”

“Beeeeennnn,” she whines. “I don’t want to go either and your adorable face is making it really hard, but I have to. I promised.”

He wraps his arm around her middle and pulls her in for another kiss. “Fine, but only because it’s Ann.”

“She’s the only other person I’d choose to hang out with over making out with you.”

“Good to know. Oh, so I finally have a free day at the end of the week. If you’re still up for it, maybe I could come and visit Pawnee and--”

She grabs him by the back of the neck and crushes his mouth to hers. Oh yeah, she’s going to be a little late to meet with Ann now.

“Yes, definitely. I might be called in to help with one of the camps, but they’re outside and you can see the park and I can show you around when I’m done. I’m so excited!”

He smiles. “Me, too. I’ll call you tonight and we can work out the details. Now go before I lose all control and keep you back here for myself.”

The goodbye kiss she gives him is all teeth and smiles, and he can feel the excitement coming off of her in waves. He takes her hand and walks her out through the store.

“Bye, Henry,” Leslie says with a wave as she walks past the register, but he only smirks.

“Later, Knope. Say hi to your hot friend Ann for me. Oh, and you might want to fix your hair a bit. You’ve got that “I’ve just been fucked” look.”

Her face turns bright red and she looks like she might die. “No! We didn’t--we just-- it’s not--”

“It’s okay,” Ben tells her softly before shooting an angry look at Henry over his shoulder. “He’s just messing with you.” Ben runs a few quick fingers through her soft waves to settle them down. “There, your hair is almost as good as new.”

She grabs his hand and smiles up at him. “Thanks. I’ll talk to you tonight, okay?”

“Definitely. Have fun with Ann.”

It feels like a part of him is being ripped away when she leaves, but he quickly pushes that thought out of his mind. It’s way too soon for that.

“No goodbye kiss? I feel cheated.”

“Oh, shut up, Henry. I’d be surprised if she ever comes to visit me again when you’re here after that comment you made. You embarassed her.”

“Sorry, I was just teasing. She’s too easy to mess with sometimes.”

“Yeah, well stop. And don’t apologize to me. It’s her that you owe an apology to. We’re still feeling things out and taking it slow. She doesn’t need comments like that scaring her away.”

“So making out is all you’ve done so far?”

Ben rolls his eyes. “Yeah.”

“Not even any under the clothes action? Full frontal tits? Anything?”

“You’re so goddamn nosey. No, I said that we’re taking things slow.”

Henry tilts his head and stares at Ben through squinted eyes. “Well, shit, you really have changed. What ever happened to Mayor ‘Fuck ‘em and Forget ‘em’?”

“He got impeached, grew up, and found a really awesome girl who doesn’t care about how badly he screwed up. I’m not gonna ruin that by being an asshole.”

Ben starts to get a little uneasy under his brother’s scrutiny, but Henry eventually smiles. “Never thought I’d live to see this day. You, sir, are slowly starting to resemble a somewhat caring and compassionate human being again. Leslie deserves a goddamn medal.”

“Well, stop teasing her and maybe she’ll hang around more often.”

“I’ll do my best just for you, Benny-Boy. See, I knew a summer fling was just what you needed to pull you out of your funk.”

Henry ruffles Ben’s hair before going into the stock room, but Ben frowns at his retreating back.

That’s all it was supposed to be, a summer fling. But there’s just something about her that makes him think it won’t be that easy to let her go.

~~~~~

He sees her across across the park when he pulls in. She’s in a pair of shorts and her camp counselor t-shirt, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She waves him over with a smile once he steps out of his car, and soon he’s being watched by seven pairs of young eyes.

“Ladies,” Leslie tells the girls as Ben walks up to the group, “this is Ben.”

“Hi Ben!” they scream back with excited smiles, all of them missing various baby teeth. 

“Miss Leslie, is that your  _ boyfriend _ ?” one little girl asks, but she’s quickly shushed by another girl at her side.

“You can’t just  _ ask _ Miss Leslie if that’s her boyfriend, Carly. That’s rude.”

“Nuh-uh. I just want to know. It’s not rude!”

Leslie wisely steps in before the two girls start fighting. “Okay, you two. Not now. Why don’t we finish our game and tell Ben what our favorite part of the day was? Brittney, I believe it was your turn.”

A little girl with dark eyes that couldn’t have been more than seven years old turns to Ben and smiles bashfully. “Uhm, my favorite part was when we got to eat ice pops and then use the sticks to make birdhouses.”

“What? You did that?” Ben asks, and the little girl nods. “No way! That sounds awesome. I bet any bird would be lucky to live in your house.”

Soon, all of the girls were telling him about their birdhouses and how they beat the boys in a soccer game.

One by one, the crowd thins as parents come to pick up their children, not a single kid leaving without first giving “Miss Leslie” a goodbye hug.

Leslie collapses next to Ben in the grass when the last girl from her group waves goodbye from the backseat of her mother’s car.

“Phew,” she sighs. “I love them, but I’ve been waiting for them to leave so I can do this.” 

She leans over and presses a kiss to Ben’s lips, one that he eagerly returns.

“Hmm, I can see why. That kiss was a little too PG-13 for that crowd. What ever would your campers think of you, Miss Leslie.”

She cackles and rests her head in Ben’s lap. “They’re too much. It felt weird having them call me Ms. Knope, so I just kept telling them to call me Leslie, but you know how kids are. They put the Miss before everything.”

“Miss Leslie. I like it.”

“Okay, then,  _ Mr. _ Ben,” she says smiling as she sits back up, “how would you like to start your official tour of Pawnee, the greatest city in Indiana, probably America?”

He stands, holding his hands out to hoist Leslie up beside him. “I’m all yours, Miss Leslie. Just lead the way.”

They stroll hand in hand through the park--Ramsett Park he thinks it’s called, and he’s never met someone so enthusiastic about different types of sod. He shouldn’t be surprised given what he knows about her, but the sheer  _ amount _ of knowledge that she has is astounding. 

She knows the date that the park was founded, knows the historical significance of almost every inch of land. She knows the story behind every monument, every athletic field, every fountain. 

They stop in front of a playground, and Leslie smiles wistfully. “And this was always my favorite playground out of them all. My dad used to take me here all of the time and push me on those swings so high I felt like I was flying. It was one of my favorite things we did together.”

Leslie rarely talked about her father, but when she did, it was always something like this. Little moments they had together, things that made her feel closer to him.

He wraps his arm around her shoulder and pulls her close to kiss her temple. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. These are good memories. I’m happy that I have them.”

An idea strikes when he sees the last of the children being called away by their parents, and he tugs on her arm towards the swingset. “Come on.”

“Ben, what are you doing?”

“What’s it look like? We’re going to the swings.”

“But we’re too old.”

“First of all, we’re still teenagers. Besides, you’re  _ never _ too old for the swings.”

She laughs when he picks her up and sets her down on one of the swings. “You ready to fly?”

He’s never seen her look more excited. She nods before tugging on his shirt to give him a kiss. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

He pushes her until she’s laughing and screaming for him to push harder, until he doesn’t think she can go any higher.

“Get ready!” she shouts. “I’m gonna jump.”

Ben stands back as she pumps her legs to keep her height, and when she reaches the apex, she lets go and soars through the air.

She doesn’t quite get her feet under her and loses her balance, falling onto her back. Ben is already running to her when she starts cackling and rolling around on the ground.

“Shit, are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” she says between giggles. “I haven’t done that in forever. That was so much fun.”

Leslie reaches up and pulls Ben down on the ground beside her. “Did you see me fly?” she asks, rolling over to face him.

He doesn’t get the chance to do anything but nod before she’s kissing him again right there on the lush grass.

Ben feels like he’s flying, too.

~~~~~

Leslie takes him to JJ’s where they do the annoying couple thing and sit on the same side of the booth. The waitress stops at their table and gives Leslie a knowing look, never bothering to ask what she wants.

Leslie just smiles and buries her face in Ben’s shoulder as he orders, and soon a plate of waffles and his burger are brought out.

She manages to steal half of his fries, and he gets a dollop of whipped cream on her nose.

After eating, Leslie takes him on a walking tour of the town, paying particular attention to City Hall. She shows him her old high school and two more parks before they hop into his car and she directs him to the campground at sunset.

“I didn’t bring my sleeping bag,” Ben deadpans as they walk through the woods, and Leslie nudges his shoulder.

“Hush. I wanted to show you my favorite spot to watch the sunset.”

“We’re in the middle of the woods. I don’t see how--whoa.” Ben stops when they step out into a clearing and the sky is filled with most beautiful colors he’s ever seen.

“Right?”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah. I mean it’s pollution from the Sweetums factory, but it makes the sunset so much better. But is it worth the asthma?”

Ben looks over and raises his eyebrows. “No, probably not.”

But he doesn’t want to think about a candy factory or pollution. All he can think about is Leslie, standing there as the colors from the setting sun make her look like she’s glowing.

“Come here,” he mumbles, pulling her back against his chest as they watch the sun go down.

“Thank you for coming to visit me today. It feels weird having you here--but good weird. I like it.”

He kisses her neck. “I like it, too. I’ll visit more often, I promise.” He clears his throat. “Hey, listen, I know we haven’t really talked about it or anything, but I really like you. Like, a lot, and I just want you to know that you’re the only person I’m seeing. I know we haven’t talked about being exclusive and I’ll understand if--”

Leslie spins around in his arms and laces her fingers behind his neck. “Ben, are you trying to ask me if I’ll be your girlfriend?”

“Maybe. Depends on what your answer is.”

She pulls his face down for a kiss, pushing him until his back hits a tree. “Yes,” she says once they come up for air. “In case that wasn’t clear. The answer is yes.”

Her chest is heaving and her hair is falling out of its ponytail, and all he wants to do is devour her, taste every inch of her, make her scream.

He turns them so she’s now pressed up against the tree and kisses her again with an intensity he’s not sure they’ve ever had before.

Her hands slide up his chest and tangle in his hair, Ben’s settling low on her hips. He runs his thumb over the small patch of skin between her shirt and shorts. 

But it’s not enough. His hand inches slowly beneath her shirt, and he can feel the goosebumps rising on her skin.

“Is this okay?” he asks, and all she does is nod before tugging at his lips again

She gasps against his mouth when a hand cups her breast through her bra, and holy shit, he’s feeling up Leslie Knope.

_ His girlfriend _ .

She moans when his thumb brushes over her nipple and all Ben wants to do is hear that noise again and again.

His fingers change course, south down over her belly and lightly dipping past the waist of her shorts.

“I want to touch you,” he breathes against her lips. “Can I do that? I want to make you feel good.” She looks at him like a deer caught in the headlights and he instantly feels like an ass. “I’m sorry, we don’t--”

“I’ve never had sex before,” she blurts out and instantly looks mortified. 

“What--”

“I mean I’ve had boyfriends and...done stuff, but I’ve never had sex and I don’t think I’m ready for that right now. I--”

“Hey, Leslie,” he says softly, “that’s okay. I wasn’t gonna--

“God, I’m so embarrassed,” she groans and bangs her head back against the tree. “You’re probably like some crazy sex god that can have anyone that he wants and--”

“Leslie, stop. It’s okay. Yes, I’ve had sex before, but it’s okay if we don’t. I just wanted to  make  _ you _ feel good. And if you’re not ready for that, that’s okay.”

She looks at him like she doesn’t quite believe him. “You just wanted to do...hand stuff? That’s it?”

“Okay, I’m a guy and I’m crazy about you, so I’m more than willing to do whatever it is you’re comfortable with, but yeah. I really want to make you cum.”

Her whole body turns an even darker shade of pink and her breath quickens. “You want to do that?”

“Yeah.”

She bites her lip and searches his eyes. She must believe what she finds there because she takes his hand and guides it to the button of her jeans.

He slips his tongue past her lips when his hand goes beneath the elastic band of her underwear, swallowing her groan when he finds her clit.

God, she’s so wet, it’s driving him insane, and all he wants to do is bury his face between her legs and live there forever, but he’ll gladly take whatever she is willing to give.

He dips two fingers inside of her, and Leslie’s back arches against the tree.

Ben doesn’t know how long they’re there, but the sun has long set by the time she falls apart and he feels her pulsing around his fingers.

It’s not a loud scream like he had imagined, but a soft, breathy whisper of his name that rolls off of her tongue like honey. 

Nothing else even compares. 


	7. Meet the Parents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO sorry it took forever to update. Hope this was worth the wait. Your kudos and comments encourage me to keep going!

 

Dating Leslie Knope is like living on cloud nine. 

There are still all of the perks of having her as a friend, but with even more added benefits. Benefits like falling asleep almost every night to the sound of her voice over the phone, getting surprise visits from her at work--half of the time with gifts of cookies or brownies--, and she’s already made him at least half a dozen mixtapes. Not to mention the  _ other _ added benefits. 

They haven’t crossed that final line yet, but they’ve done pretty much everything else. His penis hasn’t been this happy in a really long time. But most of all, he just loves being with her, spending time with her, having someone to talk to and laugh with. 

Is it cliche to say that he feels like a better person because of her? Well, whether it is or it isn’t doesn’t change that fact that he does. He hasn’t felt this good about himself since the day he got elected mayor, and he owes no one but Leslie for that. 

She makes him think that maybe he’s worth something after all.

Ben watches as she’s curled up on his bed looking at a few of his records, and he can’t help but think that she looks so perfect there. He realizes now that she’s the only person outside of his family to be in his room at the new house, too. He hasn’t exactly been good at making friends since he’s been here, but he doesn’t care. Leslie’s more than enough.

His brother is home so he won’t try anything no matter how much he wants to. And boy does he want to, but he’s content to just have her with him now. 

She looks up from the pile of records and smiles. “What? You’re staring at me funny.”

He shakes his head and walks over to her from his desk. “Nothing. Just thinking some good thoughts about seeing you on my bed.”

“Yeah?”

She lifts her head high enough the Ben can lean down and kiss her. “Yup. You’re the first beautiful girl this particular bed has seen. It’s almost a crime that it’s going to waste.”

“First girl and better be the last, too, mister.”

“Definitely the last.”

She sets the record aside and lies back against his pillows. “So, what would you do if Henry wasn’t home?”

He almost chokes. Was Leslie Knope  _ teasing _ him right now? He was definitely having a positive impact on her when it came to talking dirty, but he never expected something like this.

He tries to hide his shock with a smirk. “Well, first I’d play some music nice and low, then I’d take my time with you. You’d be laying down just like you are now, and I’d kiss every inch of you as I took your clothes off. You’d be begging for me to hurry up, but I won’t. I want you so wet and begging for me before I finally bury my face between your legs and stay there for hours.”

Ben is more than a little satisfied when he notices her breath speed up and her skin flushes red.

He crawls next to her, grabbing her by her waist until he’s on his back and she’s straddling his waist. He gets lost in her kisses, his fingers gliding up and down her back under her shirt. He forgets where he is, forgets that his brother is just one room away, forgets everything except for Leslie. 

There’s a suggestive whistle from outside of his door and he and Leslie fly apart. 

“Why hello, Leslie.  _ Lovely  _ to see you,” Henry says with a smile.

Ben looks over at Leslie, and she’s only a fraction as mortified as he would have expected. She offers Henry a weak smile and wave.

“For fuck’s sake, Henry,” Ben says angrily, swiping at his lips. “A little privacy. I swear to God--”

“Nope,” his older brother says with a shake of his head, “you don’t get to be angry at me when you left this door wide open. Seriously, dude? I know it’s been a while, but Dad could be home any minute. You should be  _ thanking _ me that I found you instead of him.”

“What are you talking about? Dad’s not coming home tonight.”

“Uh, yeah he is. Said his date or whatever got cancelled. He should be home from the store any minute.”

“Fuck,” Ben says as he flies off of his bed. “Shit, Leslie, we have to get you out of here.”

But she doesn’t move. She just exchanges a confused look with Henry. “Uhm, ok? Am I not supposed to be here?”

“Oh, no, you’re fine,” Henry says with a wide smile. “Benji, why don’t you tell Leslie here why you’re chasing her out of the house like a bad one night stand?”

Ben grunts in frustration and tosses a dirty shirt at his brother. “You know damn well why.”

“Care to enlighten me?” Leslie says with a huff as she stands up and smooths her shirt over her shorts. 

“Because my dad...well, he’s a cranky son of a bitch. I love him, but he’s also--”

“An asshole,” Henry finishes for him. 

“Yeah. He’s been hard on me ever since that whole Ice Town thing, and if he sees you here… I just don’t want him to make you uncomfortable.”

Leslie doesn’t look convinced, and Ben can tell that she’s debating whether to leave like he asked or meet him out of spite. His pleading eyes seem to do the trick though, and she sighs. “Okay, sure, I’ll just grab my stuff and--”

But they’re too late. The front door slams and Steven Wyatt’s heavy footsteps are heard coming up the stairs.

“Henry,” Steven’s gruff voice says with a nod.

Henry just stands outside of Ben’s door with a smile. “Dad.”

There’s a split second where Ben thinks his dad is just going to walk right past them and lock himself in his room, but that feeling is over far too quickly when he doubles back.

“Benny,” he says with narrowing eyes. “Who’s this?”

“Hi,” Leslie says a little more chipper than usual, walking over with her hand extended. “I’m Leslie Knope. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Steven stares at her hand for a solid few seconds before eventually shaking it. “Huh, you got a grip on you.”

“Well, I believe that a strong, firm handshake can be the ultimate first impression. My boss, Ron Swanson, has been quite the teacher.”

Steven looks over at Ben and raises his eyebrows in a way that demands he tell him who the hell this girl is.

“Uh, Dad, hi. This, uhm, this is Leslie--”

“She told me that already.”

“Right. She’s my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

Geez, Dad, don’t act so surprised, Ben thinks to himself but holds his tongue. “Uh, yeah. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now.”

His dad just looks Leslie over again skeptically before turning back to him. “You’re using condoms, right?”

“Jesus, Dad--”

“The last thing you need is to screw up your life again before you go off to college by knocking some girl up.”

“Hey, Dad,” Henry says from behind him and wraps an arm around his shoulder. For once, Ben has never been so happy to have his brother around. “Why don’t we head back downstairs and watch some TV. I’m pretty sure there’s more of that beer you like in the fridge.”

Steven grunts. “Alright. Benny, don’t forget you’re opening the store tomorrow. I don’t care what you do tonight but it better not interfere with your responsibilities.”

“God, yes I know. Leslie’s on her way home anyway.”

“Yeah, I have an early morning, too. Uhm, it was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wyatt,” Leslie says and Steven only grunts again in response as Henry guides him back down the stairs with a wink over his shoulder.

Ben collapses on his Bed with a shaking hand to his forehead once his father and brother are out of earshot. “Good Lord. I am so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Leslie says sitting next to him. “That wasn’t too bad.” Ben gives her a look and she laughs. “Okay, so it was kind of bad, but not the worst.”

“So, my father didn’t ruin my chances of ever seeing you again?”

“Sorry, buddy,” she says with a playful punch to his shoulder, “you’ll have to try a lot harder to get rid of me. Besides, my mom is terrifying in her own ways, so when you meet her, I guess it will be payback.”

Shit. He almost forgot that he’s due to meet the somewhat infamous Marlene Griggs-Knope at the end of the week. Once she found out that her daughter was seeing someone, she insisted he come over for dinner. 

“Oh, right.”

“Don’t worry, though. We already had that painfully awkward birth control talk without you there, so that’s one less thing to worry about.”

Ben just swallows thickly. With someone with the nickname ‘The Iron Cock Shredder of Pawnee’, that news hardly settles him. 

“Stop worrying,” Leslie says, kissing his cheek. “It’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Now, I really have to go home now, but I’ll see you later, right?”

“Of course,” he says, standing up and pulling Leslie with him. “Come on, I’ll walk you out and protect you from by big, bad Dad.”

“My hero.”

~~~~~

Ben pulls up in front of Leslie’s house and takes a deep breath. Or several deep breaths. 

His hands are shaking as he picks up the bouquet of flowers in his passenger’s seat, and good Lord why is he always sweating so much?

With one final sigh, he opens his car door just as Leslie runs out to greet him. Ben braces himself as she slams into him with a tight hug. God, he’d meet her mother a thousand times if it meant making her happy like this.

“Couldn’t wait to see me, huh?” he asks, kissing her hair.

“Nope. Also, we saw you sitting out here in the car for a while and my mom wanted me to come check on you and make sure you were still breathing.”

Great, so Leslie’s mother already knew he was a coward. Perfect.

“Aww, are those for me?” Leslie gestures at the flowers in his hand. 

“Uh, you and your mom. That’s not too overboard, is it? I wanted to bring something but--”

“It’s perfect,” she tells him, grabbing his face with her hands. “Tonight will go great, I promise. My mom’s bark is much worse than her bite. Well, that’s not true either, but tonight it will be. I promise. Now let’s get inside.”

She takes the hand not holding flowers and tugs. 

“Mom,” Leslie yells towards what he assumes is the kitchen, “Ben’s here.”

“Good,” Marlene Griggs-Knope says as she walks out to greet them, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “We thought you’d died in there.”

“Uh, no--no ma’am.” He thrusts the flowers at her. “T-These are for you.”

“Thank you,” she says, taking the flowers. “Leslie, would you mind putting these in some water and setting them at the table?”

Leslie squeezes Ben’s hand before letting go. “Sure.”

Ben can practically feel his heart beating out of his chest as he stands alone with Marlene. It’s like her eyes are burning into his soul and there’s nothing he can do to defend himself.

“Uh, thank you again for having me for dinner. Y-you have a lovely home.”

“Thank you. Leslie likes to decorate.”

He doesn’t know what else to say, and Marlene seems to be taking great pleasure in just watching him squirm.

Leslie eventually comes back, oblivious to the tension in the room and once again grabs Ben’s hand.

The timer on the oven goes off and Marlene smiles. “Well, looks like dinner is ready. The table is already set so we can go sit down.”

“You good?” Leslie whispers when her mother walks away.

“Uh, yeah, I think so. She didn’t say anything. Just watched me.”

“Hmm, yeah, sounds about right. But you survived. Yay! Lesser men have run away after a Marlene Griggs-Knope staredown, so you’re already doing well.”

Leslie leads him to the table and sits down beside him, keeping their hands joined under the table.

“So, Ben,” Marlene says after the food was brought out and she’s passing him the bowl of potatoes, “Leslie tells me you’ve not been here long.”

“No, ma’am. I’m originally from Minnesota. My dad got offered to run a store out here in Indiana, so my brother and I came with him for the summer to work. Save up for school.”

“What will you be studying?”

“Accounting.”

“In Minnesota? Leslie’s going to be going to Indiana. That’s quite a long distance.”

“Mom…” Leslie half whines, “you promised.”

“I’m just asking the young man a valid question.” She looks back over at him. “So, accounting. What would you like to do with that?”

Ben swallows his mouthful of potatoes. “Uh, not sure yet. I just really like math. I was thinking maybe work for the government in some way? Budget specialist or something like that, maybe. Just prove I know how to be responsible.”

He swears he sees a flash of something positive in Marlene’s eyes, but it’s gone quickly. All he cares about, though, is the way Leslie squeezes his knee and smiles at him. 

“If only Ben had been around to help me with my calculus homework. I would have done a lot better in the class. Seriously, the way he can just make change in his head is crazy.”

He blushes and lowers his head to take another bite of his dinner. “It’s nothing. And the food is wonderful, Ms. Griggs-Knope.”

“Why, thank you. Just make sure to save room for dessert. Leslie made a pie. She said it was one of your favorites.”

“Aww, you didn’t have to do that,” Ben says looking over at Leslie and nudging her shoulder. I know it takes a while.”

Leslie shrugs and hides a blush. “It’s okay. I wanted to do something special.” She wipes her mouth with her napkin and jumps out of her chair. “I’m gonna get it right now.”

“Did you need help?” He was already almost out of his seat.

“No, of course not, silly. I can do it.”

She kisses his cheek before running off into the kitchen, and Ben doesn’t realize he’s still staring at her direction until he hears a throat clear from across the table.

“So, Ben, it seems that my daughter is quite fond of you.”

“And I’m, uh, fond of her, too. I mean, I care about her, a lot. It’s been a rough time for me the last few months, and Leslie--well, she’s helped me through so much. She’s everything to me.”

Marlene gives him another once over, like she’s deciding whether or not to believe him. “Good to know. So, how do you feel about  _ Calvin and Hobbes _ ?”

~~~~~

The rest of the night went a lot better than Ben could have imagined. As usual, Leslie’s pie was out-of-this-world amazing. Thankfully, she had given him a quick list of Marlene’s favorite topics beforehand, and he was able to brush up on his  _ Calvin and Hobbes _ knowledge, so conversation flowed pretty freely after that.

No, he and Leslie’s mother aren’t about to become bosom buddies anytime soon, but she doesn’t hate him, so that is definitely a plus.

“See,” Leslie says with a smile as she walks Ben out to his car, “that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

“No, actually. I think tonight went surprisingly well.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret. When you were in the bathroom, she said that she liked you.”

“Yeah?”

“Yup,” she giggles. “So, good job.”

He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close. “Only ‘cuz I have the most amazing girlfriend in the universe.”

She lifts her head in anticipation of his kiss. Yup, he’s pretty sure kissing Leslie Knope will never get old. 

They both groan when his tongue slips past her lips, and Leslie grips at his shirt. His hands are groping her ass when he pulls away just enough to whisper to her. “Do you think your mom is watching?”

“I hope not, but I highly doubt it. She’s good like that.”

“Good, because I really don’t want the image of me feeling up her daughter to erase all of the progress I made today.”

“Well, her daughter really wants you to feel her up, and that’s what matters the most I think, right?”

Ben nods in agreement and attaches his lips to her neck.

It wasn’t nearly long enough, but after a few minutes, Ben pulls away. “You should probably get back inside.”

“Yeah,” Leslie sighs, “I should. But I’m so happy you came and everything worked out. I told you that you were amazing. Now I just have to get your dad to like me. Does he like pie? What about quilts? I’m good at making quilts.”

“Leslie, seriously, don’t worry about it. He’s a tough nut to crack, but we can work on it. And if he still acts like an ass, it doesn’t matter. His opinion won’t change how I feel about you at all.”

She smiles weakly, but he can still practically see the gears in her head turning. “Okay, if you say so.”

“For what it’s worth, I told my mom about you and I’m pretty sure she already loves you, so that’s one parent on your side. Plus, Henry already thinks you’re too good for me, and Steph is dying to meet the girl who has, and I quote, ‘made me less of a cranky buttface’. So it’s pretty safe to say the majority are on your side.”

“Yay!” Leslie leaps into his arms and kisses him again. “Okay, now I really should go back in, but I’ll talk to you later, okay.”

“Yeah, I’ll call you.”

Leslie turns and walks back up her driveway, waving to him from her door as she waits for him to drive away.

And it’s in that moment--her smile wide as she stands by the door until he’s out of sight-- that he realizes for sure that he’s falling in love with her.


	8. Green-Eyed Monster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay in updating, but the good news is that the NEXT chapter is already written too, so you won't have to wait long for it. Thanks again for all of your amazing feedback!!

Ben’s helping two girls about his age pick out sunglasses when Leslie walks into the store. She gives him a small wave, her eyes on his customers for a few seconds before her hand drops.

He’s in the middle of explaining the meanings behind UV ratings, but he shoots her a wink.

“I don’t know,” the one girl says. “What do you think, Ben?”

He’s not sure why she keeps saying his name every two seconds, but he just shrugs. “I mean, I’d definitely recommend the stronger UV protection. Otherwise you might as well be walking around with a pair of empty frames.”

“Oh my God, Ben. You’re so funny.” She laughs and puts her hand on his arm. “I mean it’s not like the cost is a problem, and I really love them.”

Ben just smiles tightly and hopes she makes up her mind. He wants the sale, but they’ve been looking for a pair of ‘matching best friend sunglasses’ for far too long now, and he wants to say hi to his girlfriend. 

“Well, I think these are the best pick by far. They compliment both of your faces so well.”

She tosses her long, blonde hair over shoulder and actually giggles. “Aww, thank you. You know what, I think we’ll take them.”

Oh, thank God.

“Perfect. How about I get you two new pairs from the back and meet you at the register.”

“Oh, my God, that is so sweet of you.”

He smiles again and walks back towards the stockroom, making a quick detour past Leslie and squeezing her waist.

_ I’ll be right back’,  _ he mouths to her and goes on a hunt for new glasses.

He comes back with two boxes, the girls still giggling and waiting for him at the register.

“Alright, ladies, you are all set.”

The same girl hands him over what he assumes is her father’s credit card then signs the slip of paper with a flourish.

“Thanks a lot, and have a good rest of your day,” he says as he hands over the bag.

“No, Ben, thank you. Are you working here until the end of the summer?”

“Yeah. Until I go away for school.” He furrows his brow and watches as Leslie starts walking up towards the register.

“Hmm, then maybe I’ll see you around.”

“Uh, okay.”

She and her friend turn around and start giggling  _ again _ , but he’s too focused on Leslie to notice anything else after that.

“Hey, Leslie. How--”

He doesn’t have a chance to finish the rest of the question before Leslie’s lips are on his and she’s kissing him with a passion usually reserved for when they’re alone.

Her hands grip is shirt and her tongue teases his before she pulls away.

“Uhm, wow. Not that I’m complaining, but what was that for?”

But she’s not paying attention to him. She’s staring right at the pair of girls with narrow eyes as the one stands there with her mouth wide open before turning around and walking away. 

“Oh, my God, was that a ‘marking your territory’ kiss?” She looks up at him and her cheeks flush. “It was, wasn’t it? You’re jealous.”

“I’m not jealous,” she mumbles, and that only makes him laugh out loud.  “I’m not,” she insists. “It’s just that she was getting  _ far _ too handsy with you and then when you were in the back, I heard her talking to her friend about how you were totally ‘connecting’ or whatever and I just…”

He smirks. “Got jealous?”

“Wanted to let her know that you were off limits. Even though you were flirting with each other.”

“Leslie, she was definitely  _ not _ flirting with me, and I wasn’t flirting with her, either.”

“Oh, please, Ben. She wouldn’t stop giggling and tossing her hair over her shoulder and  _ touching _ you. And what was that whole ‘they compliment your face so well’ garbage?”

“That’s called salesmanship. I wanted them to choose a damn pair of glasses already.”

“Whatever. Well, she was definitely flirting with you. You’re too oblivious sometimes. Seriously, no woman can resist you.”

Ben makes a face and shakes his head. “I’m...very confused right now, and all I know is that a jealous Leslie is a kind of adorable Leslie. And she kisses great, too.”

She huffs a laugh and pretends to resist as Ben wraps his arms around her. “I told you that I wasn’t jealous.”

“Okay.”

“Anyway,” she says, pinching his arm when he laughs at her again, “dumb, boyfriend stealing Eagletonian witches aside, how are you?”

“I just made my sales goal for the day  _ and _ publicly made out with my jealous girlfriend. I’d say today has been a win so far for me. How are you?”

“Good, and decidedly  _ not _ jealous. Possessive maybe, but not jealous.”

“That’s good to hear. Well, feel free to take out your possessive tendencies on me like that in the future.”

“Are you ever going to let that go?”

He leans forward and kisses the end of her nose. “Nope.”

“Great. Anyway, changing the subject, you’re still coming with me to Ann’s party Friday night, right?”

“Yup, wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of your friends.”

She hops up and down and claps her hands together. “Yay! They can’t wait to meet you, either. It’ll be so much fun.”

He certainly hopes so. He wants to do this because it means so much to Leslie, but he’s also more than a little afraid. Meeting new people hasn’t always been his strong point. Hell, when he first came to Indiana, he wasn’t planning on forming any lasting relationships with anyone. What would be the point if he was just going to leave back to Minnesota and never see them again. 

But now with Leslie, things were different.

“As long as they don’t hate me, I should be good.”

“Oh, stop, they’ll love you. You’ll be a hit.”

“If you think so. But if it all goes south, I’m blaming you, okay? And you have to make it up to me.”

She laughs, and reaches down the link their hands. “That sounds reasonable.” She looks up at him and bites her lip. “Uhm, so you know how my mom’s been seeing this new guy? Well, things are actually going really well.”

Ben furrows his brow. “Oh, uhm, okay. That’s good, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so. They’re, uhm, they’re going away this weekend. Somewhere upstate. Which means I’ll have the house to myself.”

Ben waits for her to get to the point, but she just stares at him expectantly. 

“Oh, okay, so your mom won’t be home?”

Leslie nods and raises her eyebrows. “She’ll be a hundred miles away. And it’ll just be me. At home. Completely unsupervised.”

“Oh-- _ oh _ . You’ll be alone and want me to stay with you?” It all clicks into place, and she nods again.

“I mean you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she says quickly. “If you had other plans or anything that’s fine but--”

“Leslie, I never have other plans,” he says with a smile. “I would love to stay over with you.”

“Yeah?”

God, her smile is so bright and happy it makes his insides fill with butterflies. “Yeah. It’ll be nice to get away from home for a little while and spend time with my favorite person on the planet.”

She squeals and jumps into Ben’s arms. “Oh my God, I’m so excited. This is going to be the best weekend ever.”

He wraps his arms around her and smiles into her hair. He doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to anyone--let alone someone as amazing as Leslie-- actually wanting to spend  _ more _ time with him. 

“Okay, kids, don’t make me break out the spray bottle.”

Ben rolls his eyes as Leslie jumps back. “Do you have to do that every time, Henry?”

Henry passes by them with a crooked grin and tosses his backpack behind the register. “If you insist on scaring away any of our potential customers with your wildly inappropriate displays of affection, then yes.”

Leslie just wraps her arm around Ben’s waist and smiles. “Sorry, Henry. That one was on me.”

“Well, you’re lucky that I love you, sweetheart,” he says as he leans back against the register and winks again. “But I think as an apology for making my poor eyes witness that hedonistic display, I deserve some of your secret-recipe brownies.”

“You got it,” she laughs. “Next time I visit there will be a plate of brownies with your name on it.”

“You’re an angel. She’s too good for you, Benji. I hope you realize that.”

“You have no idea.”

Leslie just scrunches her nose and squeezes him tighter. “Don’t say that. I think you’re perfect for me.”

“Okay,” Henry cuts in, “that’s enough of this for one day. Get the hell out of here and enjoy yourselves far away from me.”

With one last scowl in his older brothers’ direction, Ben laces his fingers with Leslie’s and turns to leave.

“Oh, Ben, you know what I want before we go?”

“Ice cream?”

She cackles and pulls on his arm in the direction of the food court. “You know me so well.”

~~~~~

Ben’s packing his overnight bag, and his hands are shaking. Not much, just enough to be annoying.

He’s not sure why he’s nervous. He doesn’t  _ know _ that this weekend will be the time that he and Leslie finally have sex. He can guess by how nervous she was about it, but he doesn’t know.

But damn, he can hope.

And it’s not like he’s never had sex before, so what’s the big deal?

_ Because it’s Leslie, you idiot, _ he tells himself. The first person he’s cared about like this since--hell, he can’t even remember. He doesn’t want to screw this up. He  _ can’t.  _

“Uh oh,” Henry says as he walks into Ben’s room. “What’s the bag for? Dad finally snap and kick you out?”

“No, just going away for the weekend.” He grunts when Henry throws himself on Ben’s bed and disrupts his pre-folded clothes. “Yeah, sure, come on in and make yourself comfortable,” he deadpans, but Henry ignores him. 

“Ooo, going away, huh? Are you having a sexy sleepover and didn’t tell me? I’m hurt.”

“It’s nothing. Ann’s having a party tonight and Leslie invited me over for the weekend. Her mom’s away with her boyfriend so Leslie has the house to herself.”

Henry smirks in that way that makes Ben want to punch him in the face. “That sounds like the exact opposite of nothing to me, dude. Methinks you’re finally gonna get some action.” 

Henry makes a few crude gestures with his hands that look absolutely  _ nothing _ like sex, and Ben tosses a pair of rolled socks at his face. 

“For your information, Leslie and I are doing just fine, thanks. I’m perfectly happy with the action I’ve been getting. Besides, I don’t want to pressure her into anything, okay? I’ll just play it by ear and follow her lead.”

“Okay, if you say so, buddy. But, I did see her at Victoria’s Secret the other day. Maybe shopping for a little something special for your weekend together?”

“Dude, are you serious right now? Her best friend works there. She’s at the store all of the time.”

“Yes, but how often does she walk out with a bag?”

Never. The answer is never.

Shit, she was totally planning on sexing him up this weekend.

“I’ll take that dumbass look on your face to mean that you just put all of the pieces together.” Henry hops off of the bed and pats Ben's cheek. “And with that, I will leave you to your packing. Enjoy your weekend.”

Ben takes a deep breath and packs another pair of socks. You can never have too many socks, right?

Dear God, why won’t his hands stop shaking.

“Oh, Benji.” Henry appears at the doorway again and throws a handful of condoms at him. “I have a feeling you’re going to need these.”


	9. Home Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in one week?! You all deserve it for being so patient. Your feedback means the world to me!

Leslie’s friends are...interesting. Nice--well  _ mostly  _ nice. April did try to cast a spell on him that didn’t sound so friendly, but other than that, he counts this round of “meet the friends” a success. Andy seemed to like him more than anyone else, and he even invited him to his next band practice. Ben probably won’t go for a multitude of reasons, but it was nice to be invited, at least.   

Having reached his socializing limit, Ben sits in a secluded corner, slowly sipping his beer as he watches Leslie dance in the middle of the room. She tried to get him out with her more than a few times, but dancing really isn’t his thing. Not when he’s sober, at least.

No, he’s content to just sit here and watch as she laughs with her friends, swaying her body to the music. He can honestly watch her all day.

The song ends and she catches his eyes from across the room, smiling wide and pushing her way past the other bodies on the makeshift dance floor over to him

She flops down next to him and cuddles into his side. “This is nice. I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’m glad I’m here, too.” He notices her playing with her empty cup. “Want me to get you another one?”

“No, I’m good. I don’t want to drink too much tonight. I want to make sure I am sober and in complete control of my actions when we go back to my house.”

She pierces him with a look that makes it feel like the temperature in the room just went up ten degrees. 

“O-oh. Yeah?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Uhm, o-okay. That...that sounds like a good idea.” 

“I actually have a surprise waiting for you for when we go back. If you’re ready for it, we can head out now--”

“Yes. I mean, yeah, if you’re ready and everything.”

Leslie runs a slow hand up his chest and leans over to kiss just below his ear. “Oh, I’m ready,” she whispers, and before Ben can even react, she’s halfway across the room saying goodbye to Ann.

They talk for a few seconds before Ann gives Leslie two thumbs up and pulls her in for a tight hug.

They say quick goodbyes to the rest of her friends and it’s not long before they’re in his car driving the few short miles back to her house. 

They don’t speak, the air between them thick with tension. Her hand sits high on his thigh, and he mentally calculates derivatives just to keep his composure. He spares a few glances in her direction, but she’s always looking out of the window deep in thought.   

She doesn’t move when the car stops in the driveway, and it’s not until Ben reaches down to grip the hand on his leg that she jumps. 

“Sorry,” he says softly, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I guess I just wasn’t paying attention.”

“You ready to go inside?”

She bites her lip, but when she looks into his eyes, hers are fierce and determined. 

“Yes.”

He keeps his hand on the small of her back as they walk to the front door, his other hand clutching his overnight bag in a tight fist. 

“Uhm, you can just set your overnight bag in my room when we go upstairs,” she says, closing the door behind her. “Are you hungry or thirsty or anything? I’m sure I can whip us up a couple of--”

She’s babbling and it’s adorable, but he stops her with his lips because he can’t  _ not _ be kissing her right now.

“I’m good. I have all I need right here.”

She smiles and tugs on his shirt. “Maybe--uhm, maybe we should go upstairs.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

He loves her room for the simple fact that it’s just so  _ her _ . She has pictures on almost every surface, bookshelves overflowing with scrapbooks and biographies, and stacks of newspapers and National Geographics that she swears are organized in a way that only makes sense to her. 

“You can just put your bag wherever.”

He finds a spot in the corner and sits next to Leslie on her bed.

The weird nervous tension is back again, and it makes absolutely no sense. It’s not the first time they’ve done things together on her bed, but it is the first time when they don’t have to rush before her mother gets home.

“God, this is ridiculous,” Leslie says to herself, and before Ben can react, she’s launching herself at him, and he falls flat on his back.

It doesn’t take long before Ben’s lips respond to Leslie’s, and his hands grip her hips. He sits up just enough to get some leverage and moans into her mouth when she grinds against him. 

She tugs on his shirt and pulls it over his head and toss it across the room. He shivers when she rakes her nails down his chest and her nimble fingers work on his belt and jeans. 

He kicks the pants off and reaches for Leslie. She shakes her head and jumps to stand at the foot of her bed. 

“Remember when I told you I had a surprise?”

Ben only nods.

“Well, I’m gonna unwrap it now, okay?” 

Leslie reaches behind her and lowers the zipper of her dress, letting it fall agonizingly slow down her body.

Her underwear matches the dress, elegant and lacy and makes her boobs look  _ fantastic _ . 

When he finally gains control of his tongue again, Ben licks his lips. “Wow. Fuck, you look amazing.”

Her whole body flushes pink, and she lowers her head with a smile. “Thanks. Ann helped me pick it out. She’s really good at her job.” She crawls over to him and straddles his lap. “I’m glad you like it.”

Her breasts are at the perfect height and he can’t resist tasting the swell of skin peeking out of the red fabric. “I really do, but you didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

“I wanted to. I want tonight to be special.”

Ben swallows hard. “Yeah?”

Leslie nods and peppers kisses across his jaw. “Yeah. You’ve been the greatest, most amazing boyfriend ever, and I’m ready. I want to, you know, go all the way. Ugh, that’s not sexy. What I mean is--”

“I know what you mean,” he smiles, his thumb rubbing small circles on her hip. “I want that, too, if you’re ready.”

“I am. I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. I didn’t even know it was possible to feel this way. And I know we haven’t been dating too long and you don’t have to feel the same way or anything but--” She sighs. “I love you. I love you and I want to show you.”

Ben’s thumb stops moving and he stares at her, his whole body frozen in place. It’s not until Leslie starts to pull away while blinking back tears that he realizes he hasn’t said or done anything. 

“I’m sorry,” she says quickly. “I shouldn’t-- I didn’t mean to make things weird. I--”

“No.” He grips her hips to keep her in place. “No, don’t apologize. I’m sorry, it’s just you shocked me, that’s all. Leslie, you have to understand that when we met, I was in a bad place. I didn’t care about anyone or anything. I felt like the biggest failure in the universe, but you--you made me feel like a  _ person _ again. Like I was worth something. I think I’m falling in love with you, and it scares the hell out of me because you deserve so much better, but I can’t help it.” He cups her jaw and brings her close enough so that their noses touch. “I love you.”

This kiss isn’t anything like the countless ones that they’ve shared. It’s fire and passion and longing and love. 

And as much as he loves Leslie’s sexy lingerie, Ben wants what’s underneath of it more, and soon it’s joining the rest of their clothes in a pile. He flips her onto her back, and it’s not long before he has her writhing and moaning under his mouth.

He doesn’t know what he’s done to deserve this, but he refuses to dwell on any of the negatives running through his mind. She’s here and she loves him and she’s  _ his. _

And he gets lost in her.

~~~~~

“Ben...” a soft voice whispers in his ear. “Ben, it’s time to get up, sleepyhead.”

It feels like almost every muscle in his body aches, but it’s the best kind of ache. The ache that comes from no sleep and amazing sex.

Holy shit, he had sex with Leslie Knope.  _ A lot _ .

“Ben, come on, it’s already late.”

He cracks open an eye and finds her stretched out next to him in one of his shirts that barely covers the tops of her thighs. 

“Is it late by normal people standards, or just yours?”

She giggles and gives him a quick kiss. “Doesn’t matter because I’ve been up and made breakfast.”

He rolls over and traps her under him. “But I have all that I want to eat right here,” he says between kisses to her neck. 

“Noooo, don’t try to distract me. We have all day to do whatever we want, but I’m starving, so first we eat. I even made bacon.”

His stomach rumbles, making Leslie laugh. “Betrayed by my own stomach.”

“Well, your body worked really hard last night. It deserves a reward.” She rolls her eyes when his eyebrows go up. “I meant bacon and eggs. That’s your reward...for now.”

She pushes against his chest, and he rolls back over with an exaggerated groan. “Fine. But only because I love your bacon.”

She pats his arm before hopping out of bed. “Good, now hurry up and get down there before I eat it all.”

“Oh no you don’t.” He pushes back the sheet and runs after her, her laugh echoing throughout the house.

~~~~~

There’s a part of Ben that feels almost guilty, like he’s not sure he’ll ever be able to look Ms. Griggs-Knope in the eye again after what he’s done to her daughter in her house. Like she’ll know that Ben ate Leslie out right there at the sink because he couldn’t wait until they were done with the dishes. That they had sex on the very same couch that Marlene and Leslie have girl’s nights on and share popcorn while watching movies. 

Or her shower. 

But when he’s so deep inside of Leslie and she’s chanting his name over and over again, Ben can’t bring himself to care.

“Oh my God,” Leslie breathes out when Ben rolls over beside her. “That was…”

“Yeah. My thoughts exactly.” 

Once he feels like he won’t fall over, Ben runs to quickly clean himself off before sliding back into bed. 

Leslie sighs and wraps Ben’s arms around her even tighter. “I don’t want this weekend to end.”

It was already Sunday afternoon, and they spent most of the weekend pretty much like this when they weren’t eating or on the couch watching the History Channel. Okay, so yeah, Leslie also worked on her college binders, but that was mostly while Ben was asleep.

God, he didn’t even want to think about college, but it was only a few weeks away, and soon they’d be over 600 miles apart. That alone made his chest ache, and he pressed a kiss to Leslie’s shoulder.

“Me neither. When is your mom coming home?”

“Sometime tonight. She said she was gonna call from the hotel before they leave. We still have some time.”

“Good, because I don’t want to move.”

“Yeah, I like this little bubble we’re in right now. No one else, just us.”

He runs his hand down her arm and laces their fingers. “I just want to hold onto this for as long as I can.” She peers over her shoulder at him and gives him a confused look, but he just shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just tired. Think you can nap for a little?”

She turns and sits up against the headboard. “Nope, but I like watching you nap as I work. You’re very distracting, Ben. I was supposed to be done making all of the binders for my classes already, and I still have two left.”

“I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t.

“It’s okay. I can work on them while you nap, then maybe we can finally leave the house and go to JJ’s.”

“Okay,” Ben says before yawning. “That would be good. I don’t think I want to be here when your mom gets home. I have a feeling she’ll just know, or she’ll stare me down until I take off my shoes and hold them while I confess to defiling her daughter.”

Leslie laughs and ruffles his hair. “Oh, stop, it’s not that bad. But yeah, I’m pretty sure she knows exactly what we’re doing right now, and for your sake, we’ll get you out of here in time. Now take a nap and stop distracting me.”

He doesn’t have to be told twice.

~~~~~ 

He’s hugging her so tight in the parking lot of JJ’s, he’s pretty sure she could snap in half at any minute, but he can’t let go.

God, it’s pathetic. If he feels this way now when he knows for a fact that he’s going to see her in a few days, he can’t even imagine what it will be like when they say goodbye at the end of the summer. 

That thought only makes him squeeze tighter. 

“Can’t we just stay here forever?” she asks, her voice muffled by his chest.

“Here? In JJ’s parking lot?”

“You’re right. How about inside JJ’s? We’ll have unlimited waffles for the rest of our lives. It’ll be perfect.”

“Yeah, as good as that sounds, I don’t think it will work.”

“Well, I tried.” She pulls away with a sad smile, but Ben doesn’t let go of her hand. “Thank you for making this weekend so amazing.”

“Don’t thank me. It was your idea after all,” he teases, and she musters a smile. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

He pulls her in for a kiss that he never wants to pull away from, but like all good things, it ends. 

“I love you.”

Ben doesn’t think he’ll ever get tired of hearing that.

“I love you, too. Now get home before your mom gets even more suspicious. I’ll see you soon.”

It hurts too much to watch her walk away.


	10. Not the End, But a Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally finished! Thanks so much for sticking with me. The story might be over, but I already have ideas for one-shots, so we will see this universe again, soon.
> 
> Thank you!!!!!

Ben’s pretty sure he can watch Leslie Knope do anything and find it amazing. Every move she makes is perfect and wonderful and sexy, and she finds such  _ joy _ in everything that she does.

But not this. He hates this. He hates sitting here like a useless lump on her bed because he can’t bring himself to help her.

Not when she’s already packing for school.

“What do you think about this one?” She’s holding up a stuffed koala that looks like it’s seen better days.

“Uhm, I don’t know, Leslie. You’ve already put a few stuffed animals in the “to go” pile. That bed’s going to be crowded.”

She makes a face. “But it’s Kurt the Koala. He’s been with me since second grade. I don’t know if I can leave him behind.”

“How about you put him in the “maybe” pile and see if you’ll have room once you pack the essentials.”

Leslie sighs but adds Kurt to the ever growing pile of things she says she might not need but will most likely take anyway. “Fine. God, this is hard. I wish I could just transplant my room there and not have to do all of this. How am I supposed to bring everything I need with me and have it fit in that tiny dorm room?”

Ben doesn’t have an answer.

“Hey,” she says as she takes a seat next to Ben on her bed, “what’s up? You’re quiet today.”

He shrugs. “Nothing.”

“Nooooope, don’t give me that. Something’s bothering you. You can tell me. I want to help.”

But she can’t help. Not unless they both decide to drop out of college and run away together, which isn’t what he wants, either. How can he tell her that seeing her pack, seeing her so happy to start this new stage in her life is what’s eating away at him.

“I know you do, but it’s okay.” He reaches for her and pulls her into his side. “Just being with you is all that I need.”

He’ll never get tired of that smile.

“Okay, but you know I’m here for you right? Always.”

He swallows the lump in his throat. “Yeah, I know. But do you think you could take a break for a little bit? You don’t leave for three weeks.”

“I know, but I just want to be prepared and make sure I have everything and--”

She stops when Ben starts nuzzling her neck.

He slowly nudges Leslie onto her back, and she gives no resistance. “Please? Just a little break?”

“But I still have to narrow down what stuffed animals to take and finalize the color scheme I want for the room and--oh.”

Ben smirks as he kisses his way down her body. “What was that?”

“I forgot. Your mouth is doing that on purpose to distract me.”

He stops at the waist of her shorts and unbuttons her jeans. “Yes, yes it is. And it’s not going to stop either.” He slips his hand beneath the fabric and plays with her over her underwear before quickly pulling away. “Unless, of course, you want me to stop.”

Leslie reaches up and yanks Ben back down to her. “Not a chance.”

Ben thinks that if maybe--just maybe, for these few moments he can make them forget about what’s coming in three weeks, it’ll be worth it.

~~~~~

“Earth to Benji.”

Henry’s hand waves in front of Ben’s face, and he blinks. 

“Huh?”

“Jesus, dude, you’ve been staring at that spot for like ten minutes. What’s your deal?”

“Nothing, just thinking. Leslie should be stopping by soon, so I’m waiting.”

“Okay, weirdo. If you say so. Ooooo, were you having sexy, naked fantasies?”

Ben shoves Henry’s hand away. “Fuck off.”

“So that’s a yes.”

“Seriously, dude, if you don’t--”

Ben stops when Leslie walks into the store, a plate covered in plastic wrap in her hands.

“Hey, guys.” She gives Ben a quick kiss before handing over the plate to Henry with a smile. “As promised, apology brownies with an extra special surprise.”

Henry takes the plate with wide eyes and takes a bite of a brownie. “Are these M&M’s? Leslie Knope, you are a goddess among women. If Benji wasn’t madly in love with you, I’d bust out some of my killer moves and try to steal you for myself.”

“I think there’s a compliment in there somewhere,” Leslie answers back with a laugh.

“Yeah, well, I’ve seen your moves, big brother, and I’m not worried.”

“That was cold, man.” Henry takes another bite of his snack. “So where are you crazy kids off to?”

“We’re going back to Pawnee to do some shopping for school,” Leslie answers.

“So you're leaving a mall to go all the way back to Pawnee to go shopping?”

“Uh oh,” Ben mutters. “Wrong question.”

“There is no way,” Leslie answers. “I will come to this godforsaken wasteland for you guys and Ann and  _ sometimes  _ for the food court, but I will never, ever turn my back on my annual tradition of back to school shopping in Pawnee. There isn’t a dime from my decorative thumbtack fund that will see the inside of an Eagleton cash register.”

“Oookay. Well you have fun while I sit here and gain ten pounds of brownie weight. Thanks again, sweetheart.”

“Anytime. Want us to pick you up anything while we’re out?”

“Nah. Once you become a disillusioned upperclassman like me, you just take the same bag from last semester and hope for the best. I’m pretty sure there are some pens at the bottom somewhere.”

Leslie gasps like his words cause her physical pain. “Well, that sounds terrible. I’m gonna make you a first day of school survival kit.”

Henry laughs and slaps Ben on the back. “Seriously man, you better watch out. If I’m not gonna steal her, someone else might.”

Leslie pulls him away to the exit with a laugh and one more wave in Henry’s direction, but his brother's words sit like lead in the pit of Ben’s stomach.

~~~~~ 

Ben pushes the cart down the aisles of the store as Leslie checks things off of her list and dumps what looks like years worth of supplies in the basket. 

“Are you shopping for all four years or…”

“Huh? Oh, no, silly. This is just the first semester. Well, at least until midterms. I still need to grab some stuff for my dorm room. Oh! Did I tell you that I talked on the phone with my new roommate? She sounds super nice. I think we’re going to be great friends. Not best friends, though. Ann will still be my best friend forever even though she’s going to stupid Michigan for school. As if that’s the only place she can become the world’s greatest nurse.”

“That’s nice.”

He’s only half-listening, but Leslie doesn’t seem to notice or care.

“Yeah. Oh, and my new RA called me, too. You know, to go through the typical spiel and welcoming me to IU and basic dorm room rules and such. He sounds really nice, too.”

“Wait,  _ he _ ?”

“Yeah. Brad. He seems really great.”

Ben stops walking. “Your RA is named Brad?”

Leslie turns around when she realizes neither Ben nor the cart are following her. “Huh? Yeah. It’s a coed dorm. There’s another RA named Gina, but she’s in charge of the other wing. I probably won’t meet her until I get there.”

All he can think about are Henry’s last words to him. “Why didn’t you tell me that your dorm was coed?”

Leslie looks at him like he just sprouted another head. “What? I mean I just found out my housing assignment a few days ago. Plus, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. Why are you so upset?”

Ben lets out a deep breath and crosses his arms. “I’m not upset.”

“Yes, yes you are.” She points an accusing finger at him. “You’ve got your ‘I’m upset but I’m trying not to look upset’ pose going on there.”

“I’m fine. It’s just that all you talk about now is college and your classes and spend our time together making binders and packing and talking about  _ Brad _ .”

Now it’s Leslie’s turn to get upset, and she doesn’t even try to hide it. “What is your problem? Excuse me for being excited about going away to college. I don’t know what you want me to do. And what the hell does my RA or what dorm I’m in have to do with anything? I’m confused and you’re acting like a jerk and won’t even tell me why.”

Ben runs his hands through his hair. “I’m not upset, okay.”

“No, you are. You’ve been acting weird about this for a while but I didn’t say anything or push. Anytime I even mention school you get all weird. And even today, you’ve been so distant and quiet. I’m not going to apologize for being happy about the next step in my life--”

“Look, I get it, okay,” he says, cutting her off. “You’re excited about going away and meeting all of these new people in your coed dorm and  _ Brad _ and everything else. I’m sorry that I’m not as excited as you are. I’m sorry that the idea of going back to Minnesota terrifies me and that every day I dread that it’s one day closer to leaving you and you don’t seem to mind at all. 

“It’s like you can’t wait to leave me, and then all I’ll do is worry about how soon you’ll realize that you could do so much better than me and have all of these guys after you. Henry was right. Someone else is going to just come along and take advantage of the fact that your boyfriend is 600 miles away and try to steal you away from me. That’s if you’re even planning on still being with me and not breaking up with me at the end of the summer--”

He stops his rant when Leslie violently slams the notebooks she’s holding into the cart, her face pinched and angry.

“I don’t know who the hell you think you are, Ben, but if you think any of those things are true, then you don’t know me at all. I just so happen to be my own person. No one is going to “steal” me away like I’m a  _ thing.  _ And I’m not gonna stand here while you act as though I’m going to run off to college and fuck the first guy I see as though our relationship means nothing to me. If you really think that little of me, than I’ll save you the trouble of waiting around for the other shoe to drop.”

She brushes past him and he turns and grabs her arm. “Wait, Leslie--”

He’s never seen that much anger from her directed at him before and it makes him flinch when she rips her arm out of his grasp.

“Don’t you dare touch me. I can’t even look at you right now,” she spits at him before storming out of the store.

Every eye in the room is on him now as he stands there alone with a cart full of supplies.

~~~~~

It’s been three days. Three days since Leslie stormed off. Three days of Ben sitting in his room wallowing in hatred and self-pity like the person he was only a few months ago.

Did Ice Town hurt this badly? He doesn’t think it did.

His room is dark, the blinds are drawn, and  _ Losing My Religion _ is playing on an endless loop when the door bursts open and Henry storms into the room and pulls the needle off of the record.

“What the fuck, Henry?”

“You’re saying that to me? No, what the  _ fuck _ , Ben? You’ve been sitting in here moping for three days. I’m having post-Ice Town flashbacks. What the hell is going on? Where’s Leslie?”

And the mention of Leslie’s name, Ben turns away from Henry on his bed. 

“Oh, no,” Henry says, walking around to stand in Ben’s line of sight. “That shit might have worked after Ice Town when we all felt sorry for you, but not now. You’re not going to just stay in bed all day and run away from your problems. Not after you’ve been doing so well.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“No, see, it  _ is _ my business. You’re my brother and as much shit as I give you, I  _ do _ care about you. And I swear if I have to hear that fucking song one more time--”

“We had a fight, okay?” Ben blurts out. “We had a fight in the middle of a fucking Staples because I’m an asshole.” He sits up abruptly. “I just couldn’t take it anymore and pretend that everything was okay when it wasn’t. I just ruined the most important relationship of my life  _ because _ I was afraid of ruining it.”

Henry sits next to Ben. “Whoa, calm down. Tell me what happened.”

“I lost it. I just couldn’t handle the thought of us going away to school and constantly worrying that she was finally going to realize she could do much better than me. She was so excited telling me about her classes and her roommate and her dorm and all I could think about was myself. I basically said that she couldn’t wait to leave me and that once she got to school, she’d dump me for someone else.”

Henry just sits there quietly.

“Well?” Ben asks impatiently. “You made me tell you and now you’ve got nothing to say?”

“Sorry, I’m just trying to think of a good way to tell you that you’re a fucking idiot.”

“Wow, thanks. Thanks a lot for your keen insight. Really appreciate you belittling my feelings and--”

“No. You don’t get to play the victim. Look, I get it, okay? I get why you feel that way. You’ve had a shitty couple of months and you’re worried that the one good thing you’ve found is going to be taken away from you. But Leslie isn’t a  _ thing _ , Ben. She’s not Ice Town. She’s not a mayorship. She’s a person. A person who  _ loves _ you, and you accused her of things she would never do in a million years. But on top of that, what makes you the biggest idiot is that you know you were wrong and yet you’re sitting here feeling sorry for yourself instead of apologizing to Leslie and trying to fix this.”

“I just can’t, Henry. All I can think of is that this is all for the best. Maybe she’s better off without me. Now she doesn’t have to worry about me dragging her down when she goes away to school. Doesn’t have to worry about her fuck-up of a boyfriend. I’ll just keep hurting her because it’s what I do.”

“Oh my God,” Henry grunts in frustration. “Only you can be so damn selfish and make it look like you're doing this for Leslie. This is all about you, Ben.  _ You _ . Because you’re the one that’s scared of what might happen. You want to know who knows what’s best for Leslie? Leslie. And for some reason, she thinks that’s you, and you don’t get to tell her any differently.

“She is the best thing that has ever happened to you, and if you want to ruin that, fine. But don’t think for one second that you’re doing this for anyone except yourself. You made one mistake. Granted a HUGE mistake, but still. It doesn’t have to ruin your life, especially not your relationship with Leslie. I think she’s the only person on this whole fucking planet that can save you from yourself.”

Shit, he hates his brother when he’s right and that just makes Ben want to punch him in the face.

“What if it doesn’t matter? What if it still goes to shit?”

Henry sighs. “Then it goes to shit. That might happen. College happens and people change and yeah, maybe Leslie isn’t the one great love of your life, but you won’t know unless you try to make things work. Stick together through the hard stuff. Either way, it definitely won’t happen with you sitting here like a sad sack of shit while you let Leslie slip through your fingers.”

Ben unclenches his fist and lets his shoulders slump. “Since when did you get good at giving advice.”

“Hey, I’ve always been the wise one. And I happen to be excellent at relationships.”

Ben quirks an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah. Why do you think I’ve had so many of them?” That manages to make Ben smile, and Henry nudges him with his shoulder. “So, you gonna stop being a pussy and apologize?”

Ben rakes his hand through his hair. It’s messy and greasy and he should probably wash it before he leaves. “Yeah. I’m just worried that she won’t forgive me.”

“She will. She will because she loves you and that’s what you do when you love someone. As long as that someone shows up with his tail between his legs and lets her know that he’s a giant douchebag that knows he fucked up. You might have to do some serious groveling.”

“Yeah… I have a lot to apologize for.”

“You really love her, don’t you?”

Ben’s not seen his brother look at him this way in a long time. There isn’t an ounce of his usual playful smirk or teasing eyes. This is the brother that would let Ben sneak into his bed during thunderstorms and nightmares. The brother that would tell him it’s okay to cry when their parents were screaming at one another day after day. The brother that punched Steve Kingsley for pushing Ben into the mud.

“Yeah,” Ben says softly, “I do.”

Henry smiles and claps Ben on the back. “Then get off your ass and make things right. I don’t want you two broken up any more than you do. Although,” Henry sniffs and makes a face, “you should definitely shower first. You smell like teen spirit, and what Nirvana failed to mention was that teen spirit stinks like shit.”

“Yeah, good point.”

“Aww, Benji’s all grown up and going to apologize after his first fight.” Henry stands up and slaps Ben on the leg. “But you know what the best part about all of this is, though, right?” he asks as he walks out of the door.

“No…”

“The makeup sex.”

Henry winks and he’s halfway down the stairs before Ben allows himself to laugh. That’s the Henry Wyatt he knows and loves. And maybe someday he’ll thank him for helping get Ben’s head out of his own ass.

But right now, he has to find Leslie--after a shower.

~~~~~ 

It takes Ben twenty minutes of sitting in Leslie’s driveway before he’s ready to knock on the door. Well, as ready as he can be. There is always the chance that she won’t take him back, and while that terrifies him, he wouldn’t blame her either.

He doesn’t expect Leslie to answer. If anything, he’s preparing himself for a very intimidating, angry Ms. Griggs-Knope, but instead, Ann answers. 

He’s not sure if she’s better or worse than Leslie’s mother right now. 

Her arms are crossed and she looks every bit as upset as he would expect Leslie’s best friend to be. “She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“I know. I know she’s angry, and she has every right to be, but I want to apologize. I know what I did and said was unforgivable, but I just want to talk to her. Set things right.”

“Why did it take three days for you to apologize if you’re so sorry?”

“Because I’m an idiot? Because I thought she’d be better off without me? Look, please, I just--”

“It’s okay, Ann,” he hears Leslie’s voice say from somewhere beyond the door. It’s quiet and raspy and God, he’s never heard her sound so sad. 

Ann’s eyes narrow, but she steps back enough to allow Ben inside.

When he finally sees her, his heart breaks. She looks so small wrapped in a large afghan that trails behind her on the floor, and her eyes are red and puffy. 

He has a million things he wants to say, but it’s all stuck in his throat.

“Ann, thank you so much for being the most wonderful and amazing best friend in the universe, but do you think Ben and I could be alone for a little while?

Ann looks over at him again with barely veiled distain. “Are you sure?”

Leslie puts her hand on Ann’s arm and smiles. “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, but if anything happens, you give me a call. I’m going straight home.”

The two hug and Ben stares down at the floor. All of this is because of him, and he can’t bear it. He’s at least grateful that Leslie has someone like Ann in her life.

Ann gives him one more look that clearly says that if he screws up, she’ll personally hunt him down, and he gulps. 

When the front door closes, Leslie doesn’t look over at Ben. She just walks over to the couch, and he follows.

“Why are you here, Ben?”

She doesn’t sound angry, and that makes it worse. He wants her anger. He wants her to yell at him and tell him he’s a jerk. She just sounds...resigned.

“I’m here to apologize. I’m here because I know I royally screwed up and said terrible things that weren’t true. That I  _ know _ weren’t true, but said them anyway because I was scared. I’m here because I love you and I want to make things right.”

Leslie closes her eyes like his words caused her physical pain and wraps the afghan around her even tighter, as if she wants to get lost in it.

“Then why? Why did you say them? I don’t know what’s worse, that you think these terrible things of yourself or that you honestly thought I’d be capable of hurting you like that.”

Ben sighs and puts his head in his hands. “I don’t know. I’m just so scared of losing you that it almost didn’t matter what made sense or not. And then, I just figured that maybe it was for the best. That I was going to end up ruining things anyway, so might as well save us both the heartache.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know that now. And it makes sense here.” He points to his head. “In here I know you and know how you feel about me. I know that your excitement about school has nothing to do with getting away from me. I know that you would never cheat on me.” He puts his hand on his heart. “But here? After everything that’s happened, I’m scared to accept that. I’m scared because you’re so perfect and I know other people see it, too. I’m scared that I’m going to lose you.”

Leslie sniffs and wipes at her eyes. “You hurt me, Ben. You belittled my feelings about our relationship. You basically accused me of waiting for the first opportunity to cheat on you. You made me feel ashamed for wanting more in my life. And what made it worse was that you never, ever considered my feelings.

“We never talked about it.  _ You _ never let me talk about it. You were so wrapped up in what you were feeling that you never once stopped to consider that maybe I was scared, too. That all of those times I brought up school because I wanted to talk about what that would mean for us. Do you know what it felt like every time you brushed me off? And then you just explode like it’s all my fault. Well, I have news for you, Ben Wyatt. Relationships are two way streets. You can’t just keep everything bottled up like that and then take it out on me.”

“I know. I do. I really do. It wasn’t fair to you, and I tried to make you feel guilty about something I had no right to. And I’m so sorry. I can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am. You’re right. About everything. I  _ do _ trust you. I know you would never hurt me like that, but there's still that little bit that finds it so hard to trust people. I’ve been hurt so many times, I just--” He stops and slumps his shoulders. “But that’s no excuse. I was wrong. That’s it. I know that, and I just hope you can forgive me.”

She’s quiet, which is so not like her, and it scares him. The anticipation is worse than anything he was expecting.

She stands, letting the blanket fall to the floor, and walks towards the stairs. She still doesn’t say anything, but a small nod of her head tells him to follow her.

They walk into her room, bypassing the boxes labeled “college”, and Leslie rummages through some photo albums on her desk.

“I was going to give this to you before you left back for Minnesota.”

She hands him a scrapbook, a picture of Leslie sitting in Ben’s lap on the grass in Ramsett Park on the cover. The words Leslie and Ben are written over them in decorative stickers.

He swallows another lump in his throat as he turns page after page. He always teased her about taking pictures of them with her Polaroid, but now he’s so glad that she did. Their entire summer together is right here, on these pages that he can look at whenever he gets homesick. Because  _ she’s _ his home, now. 

“Leslie--”

“I love you. I love you so much that it hurts sometimes. And it really hurts, Ben. These last three days… But I want to make this work. I don’t care about other guys that will be there at school. I only care about  _ you _ . Did you honestly think you were the only one that had doubts? That I wasn’t worried that some hot, tall brunette named Rebecca would come along and try to seduce you? That your avoidance of what happens next was because you were planning on dumping me at the end of the summer? Ann had to do a lot of calming me down, but the bottom line is that we have to trust each other. Without that, we can’t make it work.” 

She reaches out and takes his hand. It’s the first time he’s felt her touch in days, and he didn’t realize how badly he craved it until now. 

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes.” His voice is barely above a whisper, but he’s never been more sure about anything in his life. “I trust you with everything, and I’m so sorry I made you doubt that for even one second.”

“And I trust you.” She stares at their joined hands and plays with his fingers, taking a deep breath. “And I forgive you.”

The smile feels foreign on his face, and the heaviness in his chest lifts. “You do?”

She bites her lip and nods. “Yeah. As long as you promise to not be an ass again.”

“I’ll try my best. I swear.”

Leslie laughs, and it’s the greatest sound he's ever heard. 

He pulls her to him and wraps his arms around her, breathing her in. “Thank you,” he says. “Thank you so much.”

She doesn’t answer, just kisses him like her life depends on it. Maybe it does. He’s pretty sure his does. 

She pushes him until he’s flat on the bed and straddles his waist.

“You know,” Leslie says between kisses, “Ann told me the best part about fighting was the makeup sex.”

Ben laughs. “Henry told me the same thing. Well, after he called me out on my shit and told me to come apologize for being a selfish ass.”

“Hmm, Henry’s smarter than you give him credit for.” She’s already working on getting him out of his t-shirt.

“I know, but don’t tell him I said that.”

“Your secret is safe with me. And my mom won’t be home for hours.”

Leslie squeals when Ben grips her hips and flips them. “Good. So I can take my time with you. I want to see if this makeup sex rumor is all it’s cracked up to be.”

Turns out, it totally is. 

~~~~~

The next two weeks fly by as much as Ben wishes the opposite. He’s leaving early to spend a week with his mother and sister before going to school, and as much as he misses them, he also wants more time with Leslie, too.

Leslie helps him pack up what he’s taking back with him to Minnesota, and every time he tells her to leave something because he’ll be coming back soon enough, she smiles.

It’s weird. When he first came out here, he thought he’d spend the one summer working at the store and then never come back. But now? Now he has a reason to come back. At least his father doesn’t seem to mind.

And while they try to not let their upcoming separation affect their time together, he can still sense that it has. 

It takes just a little longer to say goodbye every night. They hug just a little bit tighter, kiss a little bit longer, pour everything they can into one another when they sleep together. 

He’s burning everything about her into his memory, and he knows she’s doing the same.

They’re at her favorite bench in Ramsett Park, his arm around her shoulders and her head resting just under his chin.

“Winter’s not so far away,” Leslie says.

It feels like a million years away, but he doesn’t say that.

“Yeah. My parents already agreed on Thanksgiving up in Minnesota, but I’ll be here for most of Christmas break. Steph might even come down. I know she’s excited to meet you.”

Leslie smiles and rubs her cheek against Ben’s shirt. “That’ll be nice. I can’t wait to meet her, too. And we’ll talk whenever we can and write romantic love letters to one another like they did in the old days.”

“Yeah.”

“And I want to know everything, okay? Tell me all about your classes and your dorm and the new friends that you make. I want it to feel like I’m right there with you.”

“I promise. You’ll be sick of hearing from me by the end of the semester.”

“Not possible. But I’m excited to see you try.”

“I wish I could stay here with you forever.”

“Maybe someday,” she says softly. “But this is the next step for us, now. And we’re gonna be stronger because of it. I just know it.”

Ben hopes more than anything that she’s right, but for now, he’s more than content to sit here with her until the park ranger sends them home.

~~~~~

It feels surreal as he, Leslie, and Henry load up Henry’s car to drive them back up to Minnesota. He knew this day was coming since he arrived, but that doesn’t make anything easier. 

Leslie’s been talking their ears off, but Ben knows it’s just to distract herself from the reality of what’s happening. And honestly, he can’t be more grateful.

They load up the last of the boxes, and Leslie pretends to reorganize things in the trunk with Henry while Ben stands in front of his father.

He gives Ben a firm pat on the back. “Take care and be safe.”

“I will.” He’s about to turn away, but the urge is so strong that he gives into it and wraps his arms around his dad in an awkward hug. “Thank you. For everything. I know I didn’t appreciate it at first, but thank you.”

It takes a few seconds before he feels his father’s arms move from his sides. “You’re welcome. You did good.”

Ben knows that’s all he’s going to get from him, but it’s more than enough. His dad is the reason he has Leslie, and for that, he’ll always be grateful. 

“Uhm, okay,” Leslie’s says to Henry when Ben walks over. “I put your first day survival kit in the backseat with your bookbag, and I made you guys some snacks and sandwiches for the road.” 

Henry smiles and surprises Leslie with a tight hug that lifts her feet off of the ground. “You’re one-in-a-million, Knope. I’m gonna miss ya.”

“I’ll miss you, too. I’ll see you at Christmas, okay?”

“You bet. Enjoy your first semester, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

He leaves with a wink to give Ben and Leslie some privacy.

After all of this, Ben doesn’t know what to do.

Leslie sniffs. “I told myself I wasn’t going to cry.”

“It’s okay. You can cry if you want to.” 

“Okay, because I really want to.”

He pulls her into his arms for what feels like forever, but it’s still not long enough. He takes a deep breath of her fruity shampoo, which has easily become on of his favorite smells. 

He wipes away a tear with his thumb. “I love you,” he says as he strokes her cheek.

“I love you, too. I’ll miss you so much.”

“Me, too. But we can do this, right? It’ll be hard, but we’ll make it work.”

“Right, we can do this.”

He smiles and gives her a nudge. “I got you a present.”

Leslie’s eyes light up. “You did?”

He nods and pulls a case out of his bag. “Something to remember me by. It’s the only thing I could think of that would be perfect.”

She opens the case, and her eyes flood with even more tears. “It’s my sunglasses. I can’t believe you. These are--”

“The glasses that I helped you pick out on the day that we first met. Yup.”

“But how? No, I can’t accept this. It’s too much. I--”

“Leslie, it’s fine. I want you to have these. I’ve been saving up. Plus, a few weeks ago, a little league coach came in and bought Ray Bans for his entire team. My commission check on that alone was enough to cover this. Please, they’re yours. They’ve always been yours.”

She wipes at her eyes and puts them on. “You’re the most amazing boyfriend in the universe.”

“Only ‘cuz I have the most amazing girlfriend in the universe.” 

He doesn’t care that his brother and father are probably watching, and he kisses Leslie like he’s making up for all of the kisses he’ll miss in the next four months. On those days when it feels too hard, when he misses Leslie so much he can’t breathe, he’ll have this to hold on to.

They pull back, and he rests his forehead against hers. “Remember this, okay? Remember how much I love you and how proud I am of you.”

She nods. “I will. You, too. Don’t forget how amazing you are and that you can do anything.”

He links their hands, and she walks with him to the passenger’s seat of Henry’s car. “I’ll call you as soon as I get home, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

He kisses her hand and holds it over his heart. “I love you.”

“I love you, too. Be safe.”

“We will.” 

He lets go and gets into the car before he can convince himself otherwise. Henry puts the car in reverse and they wave to their father and Leslie as they back down the driveway.

He looks back at the house until Leslie’s nothing more than a speck in the distance, his heart clenching when they turn the corner and she’s out of sight.

He pulls the small picture of Leslie out of his wallet and rubs his finger over the edge.

“You okay, man?” Henry asks.

He stares at Leslie’s smiling face and feels just a little bit stronger. He can do this. This, all of this, will be as much for her as it is for him. It’s not just about running from Ice Town anymore, but running towards a future with her.

Ben looks over at his brother and smiles. “I don’t know, yet. But I will be.”


End file.
